Crysis Effect V2
by Wraith002
Summary: Jason Harlow lost his life in battle, but the young Marine wasn't expecting the afterlife that greeted him. Accepting an offer from an omnipotent being, he was thrown into a new world where a whole new fight was waiting. Armed with a powerful suit and an array of skills from his journey, he will set out to help stop a cycle of extinction that threatens all life itself.
1. Ad Magnitudinem Destinatus

_**A/N: How's it going out there in cyberspace?**_

 _ **If anyone read my latest update on my profile then they already know. But for those that didn't, I've been talking with DemonFireX for the last week and a half, which is why I've been off the grid for a little while, and he convinced me to take on another adoption.**_

 _ **That's right, he convinced me to rebirth his Crysis Effect Series. The primary reason being that neither he nor I wanted to see this story die, and he passed it down to me to bring it back to its former glory and beyond.**_

 _ **Granted I'll be making my own changes to it at various points, but most of the main plot will be the same. I'll also be throwing in several things of my own design to make it better than it was before and even fix any errors DFX made when he first started writing it.**_

 _ **I know that I already have a lot out there that I've been guilty of neglecting. But DFX was the reason I became a writer on this site, and I want to honor him by keeping one his best stories going. So, if you'll bare with me, I'll make sure that no one will forget reading this. So without further ado, here is DemonFireX's brainchild...WRAITH STYLE!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Sgt. Jason Harlow**

 **USMC** _ **Timberwolves**_ **,** **2nd Platoon - Bravo Team**

 **Three Clicks North of Chaman, Pakistan - (Just Outside Afghanistan/Pakistan Boarder)**

 **July 28th, 2017 - 18:06 hours**

Gunfire and the smell of smoke filled the air, the two combined with the pain was making it hard to focus.

Sargeant Jason Harlow leaned heavily against the crumbling wall for cover as several rounds tore past. Leaning out of cover, he fired his M4A1 at the hostiles that had him and his squad pinned down. The rifle clicked empty making him curse as he dropped back down to reload.

Reaching for a spare magazine on his vest, the 25 year old Marine saw blood oozing out from under his flak vest and uniform near his stomach. A similar wound was also seen on his right thigh, but the pain of both injuries was numbed due to adrenaline and sheer will.

It was suppose to be a routine mission. Recon the sector outside Chaman close to the Afghan boarder where a lot of suspicious activity in the area for the last two months had been reported. With ISIS cells in the local area, the Brass had several squads stationed nearby to make sure nothing happened to the local civilian popuations.

The Sargeant's squad was on patrol when one of their hummers struck a hidden IED and exploded. The survivors lept out and took cover in a small abandoned town as a large group of men with assault rifles and small arms fire began shooting at them. The ten man squad was down to six with two others wounded and being treated. And the hostiles had them boxed into a small two story house close to the town's edge.

"Overlord! This is Bravo Team, where's our damn backup!" Jason shouted into his comm as he slammed a new clip into his rifle.

 _'The closest Blackhawk is currently enroute to your squad's current position. ETA 10 minutes.'_ replied Overlord.

"10 minutes guys! Keep 'em held off!" he shouted to his squad as he started shooting again.

One of the others dropped down next to him. "Sir, your wounded!" shouted Corporal Denning seeing the blood. "I know Corporal! How are the others?" asked the Sargeant as he managed to drop two hostiles before they could fire a shot at them.

"Stable, but we need to get them outta here for better treatment!" replied Denning as he fired a few shots.

Several shots rang out, "Fuck! Richardson's down!" shouted Private Evers as he checked the downed man's vitals. "Shit he's gone!" the Private said taking the man's tags before resuming his position.

"Fuck." Jason muttered as he took down another hostile.

 _'Bravo Team, this his Wingman 5-2. That you out there Harlow?'_ The Sargeant hit his comm, "It's me 5-2, how far away are you? We got casualties and wounded down here."

 _'3 minutes and closing Maverick. You guys got an open space for me to land?'_ Jason looked at their surroundings quickly, looking out the back window from the bottom floor.

"There's a large enough backyard behind our position, we'll pop smoke."

 _'Roger that.'_ said the pilot. Jason looked over to Evers who had dropped down to reload, "Evers! Go out back and pop a smoke so we can get outta here! We'll cover you!" he shouted. The Private nodded before taking off out the backdoor while the Sargeant and his team kept the hostiles from getting closer.

"We're gonna make it, aren't we sir?" asked Corporal Denning.

Jason looked at him, the guy was two years younger than him and had hopes for going far in his military career. One he intended to make sure continued. "Yeah, yeah we are Corporal. I'll make damn sure of it." he said sternly making the younger soldier nod before resuming the fight.

 _'Sir! The Blackhawks here!'_ shouted Evers over the comm.

"Good! Get back in here and help Denning move the wounded out back, I'll cover you!" replied Jason. Denning took the que and fell back to help the two other members of their squad move to the extraction point.

When they made it out back, the Sargeant slumped harder against the wall. The pain from his wounds and the bloodloss had started to take it's toll on him. But he refused to let it effect him infront of the others. He was the only high ranked official since everything started with their Leutenant having died in the IED explosion.

He needed to keep his men together, focused on surviving and getting back.

A round struck his cover forcing the soldier back into the situation at hand. Shaking his head, he leaned out and emptied the rest of his clip as he heard the sound of chopper blades outside, followed closely by the sound of a .50cal powering up before the building that the hostiles had taken refuge in started being ripped apart by the heavier slugs.

'Sargeant, get the lead out!' called Wingman.

Staggering to his feet, Jason began limping as quickly as possible toward the back where the Blackhawk was landing in the middle of the very large backyard. The chopper touching down and two other soldiers lept out to help the wounded inside.

Denning saw the Sargeant and ran over, slinging the his left arm across his shoulders as he helped him to the chopper. "You alright sir?" he asked as they reached the Blackhawk.

"I'll live, let's get the fuck outta here!" he said over the chopper's blades. Once everyone was loaded up, they started rising into the air to head back to base.

Denning took out the medical kit and started working on Jason's injuries. "Fuck...sir the wounds are pretty bad. We gotta get you back to base ASAP." he said putting pressure on the wounds and wrapping them in gauze.

Before Jason could speak Wingman shouted, "RPG!" from the cockpit. The Blackhawk pitched to the left hard dodging the high explosive as it streaked by.

The sudden movement of the chopper caused Denning to lose his footing and tumble toward the open hatch. Jason quickly lept to the side and grabbed the Corporal's hand before he could fall out into the open air.

The wound in his stomach flared painfully from the sudden movement making him grunt. "Gotcha!" he shouted through the pain as he helped the younger man back into the chopper allowing him to grab onto the benches inside.

Another RPG shot past forcing the Blackhawk to pitch to the side again. With nothing to grab onto, The Sargeant suddently slid out of the compartment and fell out. He was vaguely aware of the others screaming his name as he tumbled through open air. The pain from his wounds long forgotten as the ground quickly rose up to meet him.

X

 _Jason Harlow's life had been an easy going, yet adventurous one. His mother was a nurse at the local hospital in their hometown in North Carolina. His father, a retired Vietnam veteran, worked as a drill Sargeant at Fort Lejeune._

 _The military had been apart of Jason' life since before he could walk. And his dad had been proud when Jason had pitched the idea of joining the army once he was out of high school._

 _As a teenager, he had a huge like of video games, especially those that were war related. His mom thought it a little impractical, but his dad thought it was interesting. In his time off he would sit down with Jason and play a few. On some saturdays the two would go against each other, where Jason discovered that his dad was a quick learner and used his past combat experience in tactics to give his son a real fight._

 _Out of everything the young man played, he had become a fan of the Halo, and Mass Effect series'. The future based combat had made Jason wonder about what the military in the future could be capable of._

 _Other than school, friends and gaming. Jason's dad had begun training his son for when he got out of high school and joined up. Exercise regiments, CQC training, and being taken to the shooting range at the base twice a week. He'd been on the base so frequently that a lot of people knew him. And because of all the training his dad did with him, he was a lot bigger and stronger than a lot of people in his graduating class._

 _Then disaster struck._

 _Two weeks after Jason graduated from high school, his parents had been killed in a robbery gone wrong. Leaving the teen orphaned._

 _When the funeral service for his parents was over, Jason was approached by his father's CO who had asked him what his plans were. Looking up from his parents' headstone with a look the higher up had seen on his father's face many times he said, 'I told my dad I was joining up...I'm going to honor that, sir.'_

 _Once everything was taken care of, Jason joined the Marines. He went through basic training getting high marks in marksmanship and close quarters combat. His skills in leadership had impressed his superiors and was on the fast track up the ranks._

 _He spent the last few years being deployed to various locations throughout the Middle East. Each time showing that he went above and beyond the call of duty. Not just for the mission, but for the people that were serving with him. In one incident, Jason ran out into an open battlefield and picked up a fellow soldier who had been wounded. Dodging bullets and explosions to get the man back behind cover and safety._

 _His actions caused many to respect him. His superiors were proud and saw much potential in the young man._

 _When not on duty, Jason had himself a small one bedroom apartment in his hometown where he could relax on his down time. It didn't have much, but he did have an Xbox 360 set up with the latest war-based games, of which he was still a fan of._

 _He had managed to beat Mass Effect 3 (of which he was really disappointed in the ending), Crysis 2 and 3, and Halo 4 before he was redeployed to the Middle East for the third time. Dispite everything, being a soldier was the only thing that Jason had in his life anymore.._

 _The newly appointed Sargeant had been in Pakistan a whole two weeks before his last mission went wrong. And he was added to the list of KIAs, honored for his sacrifice to his men all the way to the end._

 _But many have wondered...is a great warrior truely dead? Or are they selected for a much higher purpose?_

X

The first thing he noticed was that there was no pain. The second was that he was laying on a smooth warm surface. And the last...was the loud hum of some kind of machinery.

Jason cracked his eyes open slowly, blurred vision slowly coming into focus as he looked around his environment.

At first he had to blink a few times. He was in what looked like a room made entirely of metal with long beacons of light running through the walls, ceiling and floor. Sitting up, he looked more closely at the room, the humming sound he had been hearing was coming from all around him.

"What the hell..." he wondered as he slowly got to his feet. He was still wearing his uniform and vest, both damaged from combat, but his wounds were completely healed.

With his mind weighed down with confusion, Jason ran a hand over his clean shaved head as his cobalt-blue eyes locked on a door...or what looked like a door.

Checking his pockets and holster he found that all of his weapons and ammo were gone. Even his combat knife was missing. "Dammit." he muttered as he tredded slowly to the door.

The section of wall seemed to sense his approach and split apart on it's own, sliding into the rest of the wall to reveal a long hallway beyond.

Stepping out cautiously, Jason saw strange machinery lining the walls. Some blinking with light. Others went up and down on their own as though some invisible force was lifting them. _"Why does all of this seem familiar?"_ he thought to himself as he slowly began to walk down the corridor. The humming of the machinery blocking the sounds of his footsteps.

He stopped a moment to look at a machine that had a large glowing blue crystal inside of it. "What is this place?" he asked outloud.

 **"All will be answered soon, young one."**

Jason whipped around hearing the faint voice that seemed to echo through the long hallway and his mind at the same time. "What?..." he looked left and right but didn't see anyone.

 **"This way. And all will be explained."** the voice echoed again, this time seeming to come from the end of the long corridor.

He felt hesitant for a few moments before his feet started to lead him toward where the voice was coming from. His mind in a slight fog as he walked all the way to the end where a second door slid apart. The room beyond was twice the size of the one he woke up in, but the center was divided by a large crevice that lead downward into pitch darkness.

Looking around, Jason saw a palm sized device hovering in the air at the edge of the drop. A glowing green button in the center of the device seemed to call to him. Reaching out, the soldier pressed it...

The device closed up before vanishing in a burst of light. When it faded, a bridge made of pure light connected the two sides of the room over the dark abyss below.

Shocked, Jason looked down before looking at the bridge. "Oooookay...this is starting to get really familiar." he muttered as he leaned out with his right foot and pressed experimentally down onto the light-bridge.

His combat boot met a solid surface. Pressing a little harder, he moved his other foot out onto the bridge just to be sure.

Once he was certain that the thing wasn't going to drop him into the darkness below. The Sargeant made his way across to another door on the other side. When he stood infront of it, the parted letting blinding light into the room making Jason cover his eyes.

When the light faded a little, he looked up and felt his breath hitch.

The doorway lead to a large balcony that overlooked a massive expance of open air. Crystal clear blue skies and white clouds were everywhere, but the thing that really got his attention where the large buildings that floated in the air beyond.

Each structure had several parts that shifted on their own accord giving the hint that the buildings themselves were alive in some way.

"...I'm dead...there isn't any other explanation...I died and this is where I'm gonna be for eternity." Jason said in complete awe.

 **"You have died, young one. But you are not completely gone from the land of the living."** Jason's focus snapped to a bright light coming from the clouds above that descended to the balcony he was standing on. When the light reached the edge it faded to reveal a being the likes of which he had never seen before.

It was clearly female and stood at 7 feet easy wearing an elegant blue and white dress with an odd crown on her head. The only thing that made her really different dispite her height was her nose which looked more serpent-like, and her eyes which seemed to glow as she gazed at the shocked Sargeant.

She smiled at Jason, **"Where one journey has ended, another has revealed itself to you. Jason Harlow."**

That had snapped him out of his light trans. "How do you know my name? Who are you? And where the hell are we?" he asked not taking his eyes off the woman.

 **"I am a being that has seen many things, in this universe and several others. I go by many names, but the one you should be familiar with, is The Librarian."** said the being.

Jason's brain came to a halt. He did know that name, heard it before, but believing it was something else entierly. "W-What? T-The Librarian? How is this possible?" he stuttered out while stumbling back a step.

How could it be possible. An all knowing entity that only existed in a video game was before him, speaking to him. Jason was questioning his sanity, if any of this was even real or some kind of limbo that exists between life and death.

The Librarian raised her hands gently sensing his distress, **"Calm yourself child. I assure you that this is no illusion. I truely exist, as does many other things you are not aware of."**

Once he got his breathing under control, he looked at the Forerunner in understanding. "So I really did die."

 **"I'm afraid so young one. But it was to be, just like the path that now opens itself to you."** The Librarian nodded sadly.

Jason tilted his head confused, "You've mentioned that twice now. What are you talking about?"

 **"You are a part of something far greater than anything ever asked of any being in this universe or any other. A destiny that has been mapped out since before you were born."** said omnipotent being.

"Destiny? What kind of destiny?" asked Jason. The Librarian waved her hand motioning to the sky behind her.

 **"Your universe is only one of millions. Each one very different than the last. That which you think is mere fiction in your world, is very much real in another. Which is why I am before you now."**

She looked back down at the young Sargeant, **"After my time in my universe, I have been watching several others for specific signs. Signs that proved my belief."**

Jason mulled over her words when he remembered what she had said to the Master Chief in the fourth game, "You mean watching Humanity. You believed that we could inherit the mantle of responsibility that you and the other Forerunners left behind."

The Librarian smiled, **"Indeed. You truely do have knowledge of the universe I came from. And it is that knowledge and experience that will prove invaluable for what lies ahead."**

"What is that exactly? And what has all of this have to do with me? I'm no one special. Just a soldier who gave his life." said Jason.

 **"That is where you are wrong, Jason. This has everything to do with you."** said The Librarian. **"You already know that when the Halo Rings fired, and I ensured that when Humanity was repopulated that specific seeds were left behind to ensure that they would be ready for what was to come."**

Jason nodded, "Yes. You told the Chief that he was the culmination of thousands of lifetimes of planning."

 **"Precisely. However, his ultimate creation wasn't the only one I took great interest in. There were two others. Each from different universes, each with a destiny that would greatly change the course of many worlds."**

Soaking in the information. Jason began to understand what The Librarian was telling him. It wasn't just the Halo universe that she had made sure was ready for what would happen, she had a hand in two others. But what did that have to do...with...him...

His eyes widened with revelation. "...No...you mean...one of those people..."

The Librarian nodded slowly. **"You now see the truth, Jason. Much like the Spartan, I saw something in the Humanity from your universe. I planted the seeds, and ensured that everything was ready when the time was right."**

Jason felt anger well up within him, "You mean to tell me, that my whole life has been lead to this point? That everything was 'planned' to happen?"

 **"Your anger is misplaced. I merely prepared you on a genetic level. The events taken place in your life were the result of your own choices and the choices of others."** explained The Librarian calmly. **"The so called 'games' in your universe were also my doing. I simply made sure that the ideas for such simulations were with the right people at the proper time."**

Taking a deep breath, Jason calmed down, "Alright, you say my 'creation' was planned. But for what purpose exactly? My world wasn't facing anything nearly as destructive as your universe was, as far as I knew."

 **"That may be so. But your universe is not in danger, unlike the other two. That is your purpose. To assist in the security of one of those universes, and to ensure the survival of those who face destruction."** said The Librarian.

"And how do I do that exactly? I have no knowledge of the universes that you have been talking about." said Jason crossing his arms.

The Librarian smiled as she began to hover closer to the young man. **"On the contrary, young one. You know this universe a lot more than you know. And they need a warrior such as yourself to see them through the dark times ahead of them."**

Jason thought on the omnipotent beings words, weighing the information carefully for a few moments before he spoke. "If I don't decided to do this...what then?"

 **"You will be reunited with those you have lost in the past."** replied the Librarian gently. **"The decision is utterly yours to make if you decided to move onto the afterlife. I am merely showing you that there is more to your existence than you realized."**

The soldier nodded taking some more time to think. On the one hand, he couldn't be happier to be with family and friends again. On the other, he could still live, and keep fighting the good fight for a whole nother cause.

 _'What would my folks say if they were here?'_ he wondered to himself, looking up at the Librarian who waited patiently when he managed to finally come to a decision. "I'll do it. I know my folks would want me to keep going, and if I'm helping people elsewhere, then I know they would back my choice.

The Librarian nodded, reaching out and resting a six fingered hand on his head, Jason's mind was suddently bombarded with images and memories that were not his own.

 **"In order for you to be ready to face the tasks ahead, you must acquire the tools to assist you. I will help you acquire those tools, Jason."** said the Librarian as darkness began to creep up around his vision.

Through the darkness, he could hear the Librarian speaking again. **"I have given you the first stepping stone in your journey young one. The rest is up to you, but be warned. Your mind, your body, your heart, and your skills as a warrior will be tested in more ways than you can fathom. You must overcome, thrive, and fight for what you believe. Or...all will be lost."**

X

 _A bright light filled his vision and slowly swam back into focus. A spot light shined over the darkened area where Jason laid face down on the wet ground. The sound of water crashing against the shore behind him as he attempted to move._

 _Pain burned through him making his vision lose focus. The sound of gunfire erupted in the distance as someone approached, feet pressed the wet earth with each step as they drew closer._

 _Jason vaguely felt someone grabbing both his arms and start to drag him across the ground toward a small cluster of buildings not far away. The pain in his body that he thought was gone coming back and increasing with each passing second as he heard the one dragging him grunt with exertion._

 _He heard a door being kicked open before being dragged across a concrete floor. After a moment everything stopped. The one dragging him gently rolled him onto his back where the soldier looked at his bloody reflection in a red visor. "Vitals...dropping. Have to work...fast." said a strained, deep and grave voice._

 _Everything faded to black as Jason felt the unknown person removing his bloodied uniform._

X

Jason slowly awoke, feeling better than he had the last time he was concious. But something felt off.

Raising a hand to his face, the soldier saw a black and silver gauntlet instead of his bare hand. Sitting up quickly, Jason looked down at his body and saw that he was encased in a suit of armor that he knew all too well.

"T-The Nano suit?" he wondered reaching up to touch his face. The feeling of a smooth helmet that covered his whole head. "What is all this? How did I get here?" he wondered outloud as he slowly stood up.

It was then he remembered his conversation with the Librarian, and the last words she left him with. _**"In order for you to be ready to face the tasks ahead, you must aquire the tools to assist you. I will help you acquire those tools, Jason."**_ Jason looked down at his hand again, fingers flexing into a fist. "The tools to assist me?"

Something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A body in a skin tight white suit laying behind a stack of crates. Walking over, Jason looked down at the dead man on the floor. His face was cut horribly and covered in open sores, but what stood out the most was the bullet wound to the side of his head, a large puddle of blood having aleady formed around the man's head from the exit wound.

"Prophet..." Jason said recognizing the dead man immediately. _**"Voice Recognition. System coming online."**_ said a deep, synthesized voice from within the helmet of the Nano Suit. The HUD of the visor flickered before showing his vitals, compass and energy levels for the suit. _**"Initializing Playback."**_ a video screen appeared on the HUD revealing an alive, but extremely wounded, Prophet looking back at him.

 _"Something tells me that this is only the beginning."_ Jason thought as Prophet began speaking.

X Several Days Later X

Within the center of New York City, Central Park itself hung in the air by a series of massive cables that all connected to the massive alien spire that had shot from the ground minute's prior.

The once beautiful landmark now a hovering cluster of broken landmass ensnared by the Ceph machine that would soon activate and bring about the beginning of the end for humanity...but one man wasn't going to let that happen.

Jason worked his way through the unstable terrain, A K-Volt gun in each hand as he stepped over the bodies of fallen Ceph that he had put down himself. The last few days since he had awoken in this world were long and wrought with danger around every corner.

Fighting off not only an alien invasion, but also a corrupt military company that made it no secret what their agenda was. In seemingly no time at all, he had pretty much mastered the Nano suit and its many functions thanks to the AI SECOND that existed within it.

Now things were coming to a head. The US governemnt was planning on nuking the island of Manhatten in order to stop the Ceph. A tactic that would prove fatal for the whole planet if he didn't reach the spire and shut it down for good.

Moving slowly through the small maze of boulders and upturned earth, Jason found himself in a small open area surrounded by cliffs. And roughly 50 meters ahead of him was the entrance to the massive machine.

 **"Proximity Alert."** SECOND warned just before Jason was struck in the chest hard as a Ceph Guardian appeared out of thin air and hissed at him.

Swinging his fist out in retaliation, the creature vanished again before it could hit. "Track that thing." he said searching for his target.

 **"Scanning..."** he kept both weapons up as he waited for either the AI to find it, or for it to pop out again. **"Enemy Located."** the air several feet to his left suddenly started sending out glowing teal fragments that moved around slowly.

"Gotcha." he said firing both K-Volts full blast. The Guardian shreaked as the electro-rounds struck it, disabling it's cloaking and burning it's flesh until it collapsed dead on the ground.

 **"Multiple Proximity Alert."** said SECOND as two more Guardians dropped down and came at him from both sides.

He emptied both clips into the one on his right before it got too close while pulling out his knife to engage the other. **"Maximum Armor."** The creature's claws racked across the hardened weave on his chest before he tackled it to the ground, forcing it's head up as he drove the blade up under the armor of it's helmet.

'Jason you've gotta move now! That nuke is only two minutes out before it can't be called back!' shouted Gould over the comm as several dropships appeared around the central spire and began unloading more Ceph into the area.

The nano soldier leapt up the small clifffaces and made a made dash toward the spire. Kicking a Ceph Trooper out of the way as he entered the structure. The glowing red insides and the nanites flying around him made visibility nearly impossible. But Jason pushed forward as he felt the small machines in the air begin to rip into the nano suit.

 **"Warning: Suit Integrity Compromised."** he ignored the AI as he kept going.

Small tears began to form along the suit the more he moved, almost too fast for it to repair itself. **"Maximum Armor."** he activated armor mode to assist, but the energy meter dropped like a lead weight giving him only a few moments of relief. **"Energy Depleated."**

Jason fell to his hands and knees and began to crawl. Each step became harder than the last, his legs felt heavy and it was becoming harder to whole body burned as though someone was dumping acid on him.

But he kept going, people were counting on him...he couldn't fail. **"Multiple Suit Malfunctions Detected. Life Support Systems Failing."**

He grunted, getting back to his feet and stumbling onward. Thinking back to everything he had done since the Librarian brought him here, the people he saved, all the good he had done...and now it was all coming to an end.

 **"Suit Integrity Critical. Life Signs Critical."** the now Post-Human stood at the edge of the walkway, looking down into the spire's central chamber where the nanites were at their strongest. He gave a weak chuckle as the suit continued to burn.

"Game...Over..." he rasped out before he leaned forward and fell from the ledge. The current of nanites caught him and he hovered in place. The nano suit started to glow as it began altering the microscopic machines, changing their function as well as their targets just as the spire activated.

A loud cry or agony ripped from his throat as the nanites around him began to glow white. There was a large flash...and everything vanished.

X

Outside, the Ceph Spire launched its payload. But instead of attacking the intended Human targets, the nanites attacked the Ceph.

All over New York the alien invaders collapsed, their organic parts liquidating within their armor and leaving nothing more than metal husks in their wake. Within minutes, every Ceph was dead leaving the Human's fighting them standing in shock and awe.

Moments after the nanites were fired, the spire shook violently as a series of explosions from within rattled it to its very foundation until it started to collapse. The large cables holding up the sections of Central park falling limp and sending the chunks of earth crashing back down, dust and debris blasting into the air and scattering through the ruined streets and buildings around the site and forming a haze that no one could see through.

When the dust finally settled, extraction teams would only find ruins and dead Ceph. But no sign of the nano suit or its wearer were recovered...

Both simply vanished.

 ** _A/N: Relatively the same, but like I said there will be some changes made, and not all of them will be so subtle._**

 ** _I have yet to decide the direction I'm taking with certain parts of the story, for example if I should keep the nickname 'Maverick' even though I changed the OC's real name, or if I should keep it the same. But I can guarantee that this will be a FShep/OC story, that much I intend to keep for a variety of reasons._**

 ** _Regardless, if you're an old fan of this story, let me know if anything stands out that you want me to look into. You all know where to find me._** ** _Till then, send me a couple reviews and I'll get back to you ASAP._**


	2. Chapter 1

_**A/N:...To be honest, I wasn't expecting such a massive rise in followers for this story in only 24 hours. But given the popularity of this story back in the day I shouldn't be too surprised. I certainly got pretty damn big shoes to fill don't I?**_

 _ **Under a good amount of deliberation, and with a few comments from readers, I've decided to keep the codename Maverick for my OC. Both to honor the previous author of this fic, and for the fact that it's still pretty awesome in its own right.**_

 _ **I will also take this time to let you all know, DemonFireX sent me the whole folder for this story. All 78 documents from both Crysis Effect 1 and 2 including the prologues, chapters, trailers and the unfinished update he had been working on before he fell off the grid are now in my possession and ready for rewrite and posting. Granted, I'll wait a certain number of days between postings so that everyone can get into it again. But they all will be coming back soon enough.**_

 _ **For now, here's the next installment.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason Harlow**

 **Location - Unknown**

 **Date: Unknown - Time: Unknown**

Jason's vision swam into focus slowly, a low groan emitting from the base of his throat as he tried to bring himself back to full awareness.

 **"System Rebooting."** SECOND stated, the HUD shimmering a bit as everything came back online. **"Status: All Systems Functioning Normally."**

"Where are we, SECOND?" Jason asked the AI as he sat up and looked around. The room he had awoken in was nearly pitch black save for the glowing red lights illuminating the metal walls and a handful of crates scattered around.

 **"Location Unknown."** SECOND reported bluntly.

This caught the nano soldier by surprise. "What about New York? Did we stop the Ceph?"

 **"Ceph Forces within New York City limits were terminated after the central spire became active. Mission Objectives Completed."** Jason breathed out in relief, at the very least they managed to stop the Earth from being invaded. The non-stop fighting through the city to help the military retake everything had been beyond what he could have expected.

Granted, he wasn't expecting to be dropped into the Crysis-Universe, and on top of that being the new wearer of the nano suit. But in the end, he managed to use his new prowess, his training, and a good amount of luck to get through it all in the end.

"Now if I can just figure out where the hell I am." he muttered to himself as he got up to his feet and checked what supplies that he had on hand.

The final push to the spire had exhausted a lot of his equipment. Other than his combat knife, the nano soldier only had a Hammer pistol with spare ammo and a couple frag and EMP grenades. It wasn't much, but he had faired well with less before.

The sound of a door opening had Jason instinctually dropping into cover behind one of the crates. Pistol in one hand and knife in the other as he peered out to see what had entered the room.

To his immense surprise, he found himself looking at a Krogan in rust colored armor holding a large shotgun being flanked by two Vorcha wearing the same colors.

The shock of seeing aliens from a completely different world wore off quickly as they started to skulk around the room, his battle instincts kicking in when he recognized the symbol on their armor marking them as part of the BloodPack mercenary group. And if Jason remembered right, they weren't to be taken lightly.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** without a sound and small shimmer, the nano soldier vanished from sight. Creeping out from behind cover and circling around the room to the trio's rear flank, none of them aware of his presence as he came up behind the closest Vorcha and sprung.

Knife slashing the creature's throat, blood spraying into the air, the other Vorcha and the Krogan barely had a moment to register their comrade falling when Jason charged the the bigger of the two. Raising his weapon, round drilled through the smaller alien's forehead and spraying out the back just as he speared the Krogan in the middle and sending them both to the floor.

Before the alien could get up, the nano soldier quickly pinned him with his knife at his throat and pistol pressed to the side of his head just under his crest. "I have two questions, and you're going to answer them." Jason said sharply.

"You'll regret this Human!" The Krogan bellowed, "No one messes with the Blo-" he was cut off when the knife dug deeper, causing a line of orange colored blood to leak out down to the floor.

"Two questions." the nano soldier stated again, "You answer. Or I'll cut out this crest of yours and shove it down your throat." The Krogan's eyes widened when the removal of his crest was mentioned and Jason knew he had his full attention. "Our location and the date."

The Krogan swallowed thickly, "O-Omega. 2180."

Nodding, Jason fired two shots into the alien's head before standing. "SECOND, hack into and monitor all radio traffic in and around us and report anything important." he said before heading to the door the mercs had come through. Activating his suit's cloaking along the way as he slipped into the shadows.

X

Elsewhere within the lawless station, Aria T'Loak, the renouned 'Queen of Omega', sat within her private lounge in her club with a datapad in hand.

One of her subordinates had reported a strange energy reading within one of the lower wards and went to investigate. The video feed she bore witness too was something worthy of her interest, to say the least as she watched an unknown dispatch three BloodPack mercenaries with relative ease

"I want him found, and brought to me." the powerful Asari said, getting confirmations from her men in the field before turning her attention back to the frozen image of the one in black and silve armor.

X

From his position ontop of one of the many buildings within the outlaw space station. Jason looked through his visor while on nano-vision to ensure that he wasn't followed after taking out the Bloodpack mercs he killed half an hour ago.

The shock of being where he was didn't have the same effect like it did when he woke up in New York City in 2023. It must have been that the soldier had gotten used to the strange and unexplainable since his 'death' in his own world.

But the question that plagued his mind was of the utmost importance; why the hell was he here? The Librarian said that he had to assist one of the 'chosen' to ensure that their universe was safe. He thought that the Crysis universe was it, yet considering the current situation he knew now that he had been wrong.

Jason knew all about the Mass Effect universe. He had beaten all three games and their DLC content before he was shipped out again. He knew what was coming, he had knowledge of who he could trust and that might be able to help him make sure that Shepard saved the galaxy.

His situation however was a rough one. He was an unknown in this universe. No identity. No money. And he was packing technology that he was pretty sure everyone in the traverse would be more than happy to kill him for.

"Good thing I woke up on Omega then." he muttered switching off his nano-vision. "SECOND, you got something for me?"

 **"Intel Acquired. Subject: 'Shepard' located from extranet tap. Data being displayed."** A window popped up on the HUD showing a dossier on Commander Shepard. The picture with the information revealed a woman with pale skin and bright red hair that reached her chin. Two emerald green eyes drew attention to her heart shaped face where a scar was visible on her right cheek.

"Commander Jane Shepard. Born and raised on Mindoir. Survived Batarian slaver attack which had killed her family and friends. Joined the Alliance at 18. Fought against a slaver raid at Elysium which awarded her the Star of Terra. Known to be quick minded on the battlefield, but also to have a 'golden heart' for those who need help." Jason said reading the information.

It appeared he was dealing with a Colonist-War Hero, Paragon Shepard. "Not bad. She's beautiful too, hope I get to meet her." Jason muttered to himself as he headed to the edge of the rooftop. **"Warning. Proximity Alert."**

Jason spun around and activated his suit's cloak just as the door to the rooftop opened and five people with guns stormed out. Two Human, a Batarian, a Turian and a Krogan all stood looking around the 'empty' space for something.

"Shit! I tracked him here!" shouted the Turian checking his omni-tool.

"Bah! Leave it to you to lose a target Grizz." mocked the Krogan as he swept the rooftop with his claymore shotgun.

"I'm telling you I tracked him coming up here. And there's only one way in or off the roof." said Grizz as he deactivated the omni-tool.

"Maybe he jumped." said one of the Humans looking over the side to see an easy 40-story drop. "He took out four BloodPack mercs in seconds, a drop like this probably wouldn't bother him."

The Batarian's four eyes looked left and right, having been on Omega for as long as he had gave him the sixth sense to know when he was being watched. The question was where the hell was he?

There was a dull thud forcing them to turn around and see that one of their Human partners was laying prone on the ground. "Shit, what happened to him?" asked Grizz as he and the other Human ran over to check on him.

"He's out cold. Something hit him on the back of the head pretty hard." said the other Human when he was hit with an unseen force and sent crashing into the wall and slumping to the ground unconsious.

The three remaining gunmen stood back to back when their comrades fell. "He's up here." said the Batarian.

"How the fuck is he hidden so well?" asked Grizz keeping his assault rifle up.

"Gotta be cloaked. Heh, coward can't even stand and fight like a man." rumbled the Krogan.

The large alien suddently had his shotgun yanked from his hands before it was smashed hard against his head plate, staggering him just as something slammed hard into his armored gut sending him skidding across the rooftop.

There was a shimmer in the air, Jason stood before them with a Hammer aimed at the Batarian's head with the Krogan's shotgun aimed at the Turian. The two aliens looked at the sudden appearence wide eyed before realizing their situation. "Fuck." muttered the Batarian.

"Why are you looking for me?" Jason asked keeping his eyes focused on the two before him, while at the same time watching the Krogan who was now getting back to his feet in his peripheral vision.

"Our boss sent us out because of a energy fluxuation in the lower slums. When we arrived I saw _you_ kill three Bloodpack mercs like they were nothing before disappearing." said Grizz trying to remain calm.

"Naturally, our boss would like to speak to someone who just 'appeared' out of nowhere and is able to kill with such precision before just vanishing into thin air." said the Batarian not at all bothered by the gun in his face.

A loud roar ripped through the air. Jason lept back before slamming his fist hard into the Krogan's face in mid-charge, snapping his head back and making him stagger back several steps.

Putting the pistol away and dropping the shotgun, the nano soldier maximized his armor's strength as the Krogan shook out the cobwebs and made another attempt. He caught the large alien's fists, only sliding back a step or two before coming to a complete stop.

The Krogan pushed with all his strength but couldn't budge the armored Human. "Heh! You got some strength to you. Do you think you can defeat a Krogan?" he barked as he put more strength into his arms.

Jason pushed back, eyes glancing down and seeing his energy meter steadily dropping with each second.

Thinking fast, he released one of the arms before spinning under the one still in his grasp. Using the momentum to flip the now unbalanced Krogan in the air and slamming him down onto his back. He then planted his foot on the large alien's shoulder before twisting hard to the right hearing a resounding _'Crack!'_ and a loud bellow of pain that signified a dislocated shoulder.

The Krogan attempted to get to his feet when a heavy boot forced him back down. "I didn't come to Omega to start a fight. Yet your doing a damn good job of that all by yourself." said Jason looking at the two others who had their weapons trained on him.

"Don't make this any harder than it already is." said Grizz sharply. Jason removed his foot from the Krogan's chest and stood staight a moment before sprinting at the two armed men who opened fire. **"Maximum Armor."**.

The mass propelled rounds bounced off of the strengthened weave of the armor as the soldier reached the shooters. Grabbing the assault rifle and pistol from the two aliens, he crushed them with his nanite infused strength before grabbing the two by the throats and lifting them off the ground.

"Now, who's your boss and why are they after me?" Jason asked making sure not to squeeze their necks too hard.

"Aria T'Loak, she runs Omega. Anything out of the ordinary on the station and she knows about it. That's why we were sent here and to track the one responsible...it lead us to you." said the Batarian struggling in Jason's grasp.

Jason tilted his head, knowing full well about the self appointed Queen of Omega. "Then we better not leave her highness waiting, now should we." he said setting both men down.

X

If he didn't feel out of place before, Jason sure as hell did now.

Walking through the station with his once armed escort. The two Humans looked uneasy as they stood on either side of him. The Krogan walked with a pistol in his right hand while his left hung limply at his side, red slitted eyes burning holes in the back of Jason's head given the result of their scuffle

Grizz and the Batarian, whose name was Anto, lead them to the club Afterlife that was nearly in the heart of the station. And the site of Aria's leadership.

Walking past the long line of folks waiting to get in, the group went through the main door and down the small corridor before entering the large club. Music pounded around them, the atmosphere reeking of sweat and alcohol as patrons danced all around them.

Jason had SECOND scan the room and tagged several mercs the moment they entered. Through his HUD, a dozen men from both the Blue Suns and Eclipse were highlighted red with an orange triangle above their heads, marking them incase something should happen.

With the conflicts he had been in, it wouldn't do him very well to not be at least a little cautious.

The patrons of Afterlife parted like the red sea. Many attempting to get a better look of the black and silver armored man being led to the stairs leading to Aria's balcony.

The guard stationed motioned for them to go up and they did without a word. In moments they stood in the small VIP section where one of the most powerful Asari in the Terminus Systems stood with her back facing them.

"You know, it's not often something surprises me." she said with her back still them. "Yet finding out that someone simply 'appeared' on my station with out being detected leaves me thinking the worst." Aria turned and glared at Jason. "Something _very_ dangerous for anyone."

Jason rolled his shoulders, "I'm not here to cause trouble for you or your _kingdom_. But your boys here had the shoot first ask questions later kind of attitude and that didn't sit right with me." he said glancing at his escort.

Her eyes scanned over her battered and shamed guards that stood around the armored soldier. "One man beat all five of you? Pathetic." she said shaking her head.

"Whelp got lucky." grunted the Krogan. Jason looked over his shoulder at him,

"You want me to break your other arm?"

The Krogan raised his pistol, Jason lashed out knocking the weapon from the Krogan's hand with his arm before delivering a powerful kick to his chest sending him flying off the small set of stairs and rolling hard to the ground below.

It was then Jason heard the sound of a dozen weapons powering up. Every guard in the room had a gun trained on him. Aria kept her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes trained on the soldier with interest. "You could have killed them at anytime from what I can see. Why hesitate?" she asked.

Jason shrugged, "They meant no harm to me. And besides you sent them, and like I said before I'm not here to cause trouble. Especially since that it would break the golden rule of Omega."

Aria raised an eye-ridge, "And that rule being?"

Crossing his arms over his chest in a similar fashion, Jason kept his pose relaxed. "Don't fuck with Aria." he said casually.

Aria smirked, "It's good to see your well informed stranger. Although no one gets on or off my station without my knowing." she motioned to her guards to lower their weapons before motioning to the couch next to her. Jason walked up and sat down while the pirate queen sat on the center couch. "So why are you here?" she asked leaning back in her seat.

"Long story, so I won't bore you with the details. Let's just say that I've been through hell and fell ass-backwards here." said Jason leaning back in his own seat, his vision glancing around the room more than once to make sure he wasn't being set up.

"Hmm, I've heard that once or twice." Aria said taking a sip from her drink. "You gotta name stranger?" she asked looking at him over the rim of her glass.

Jason thought on that only a moment. His real name would set off too many red flags even though he didn't have an identity here, so he decided on a name he had used on one of his Mass Effect playthroughs years ago.

"Maverick."

Aria raised her eye-ridge again, "Interesting name." her eyes roved over his suit, taking in the details up close. "Even more interesting armor. Now why would someone like you come here unless they intended to start something?"

"Wasn't my intention to wind up here. And I'll only use my weapons and skills if the situation calls for it." Jason leaned forward, "Though I do find myself in a tight situation." he looked at Aria through his visor. "What would it take for me to get passage to the Citadel from here?"

The Asari picked up her drink, "Book passage on the next shuttle." said uninterested, raising the drink to her lips.

"Without being seen or detected." said Jason causing her to pause. Aria glanced at him, unable to read his expression and eyes because of the suit. She hated not being able to read those before her.

"That is a challenge, but not an impossible one." she said putting her drink down. "However, such a favor will regard compensation."

Jason narrowed his eyes slightly, "And that being?" Aria waved to one of her guards who brought over a datapad.

"A favor, for a favor. Nothing on Omega is done for free, and you look as though you can handle yourself in most situations." she said as the tablet was handed over to the nano soldier. "There is an illegal shipment of weapons being brought in three hours from now. Whoever they are, they've been getting their supplies into my station and arming the local merc branches without much detection. If you deal with the smugglers, I'll get you what you need."

Not seeing much of a choice, Jason took the datapad and had SECOND scan all the relavent data for the operation contained on it before standing. "I'll get it done. But don't expect this to be a regular thing." he said heading out of the VIP lounge and out of the club.

As cold as he was being, Jason knew that Aria was very manipulative. She was the leader of the station for a reason, and her reputation was one to be both respected and feared. That was why he had to make sure the Asari was at arms length. She was using him as a means to an end, he would do the same to make sure he had what he needed.

X

The docking area that was listed in the datapad was a small one, out of the way of the major docking ports and not crowded at all. The perfect place for a smuggler to do their work undetected.

Jason was crouched ontop of a warehouse that overlooked the docking area, his eyes scanning over the area as he planned his attack. With the small size of the port he'd be relying mostly on close quarters combat. And depending on the number of hostiles, this could make an easy or slightly difficult task.

 **"Proximity Alert. Arial Craft Approaching."** said SECOND. Jason crouched a little lower as a ship came into view and approached the port. Touching down on the small docking area and allowing a ramp to extend from it's underbelly after it was secured.

A group of armed gunmen walked down the ramp and scanned the port for a few minutes before half of them went back onto the ship. **"Accessing Avaliable Data...Four identifiyed as Human. Three identifyed as Turian. All lightly armed. Tactical Options Avaliable."**

After looking over his options for the situation a few moments. The soldier slipped down the rooftop and landed lightly on his feet, his back to the warehouse as he leaned around the corner and observed as the mercs unloaded several crates from the small ship. Activating his cloak, he slipped past the few guards they had and got onto the ship.

The vessel was small, big enough to fit 20 people at the most. It only possessed a crews quarters, small mess hall, and only a few stations for navigation leading up to the cockpit where the Human pilot was lounging in his seat.

Given that they were doing their business under the radar, it reasonable that they would go with a smaller vessel to avoid detection. But the small number of crew would be their undoing.

Jason deactivated his cloak, allowing his suit's energy to replenish as he crept up behind the pilot. "Hey, you guys done already?" asked the man as he kept reading the datapad infront of him. The nano soldier approached silently until he was behind the pilot's seat. "Hey where are-" he was cut off when the soldier wrapped his arm around his neck and placed a hand over his mouth.

The pilot struggled a moment before Jason twisted and snapped his neck. Setting the limp body back in the seat, he went to one of the terminal's nearby and touched it lightly. "SECOND, rip what you can from these terminals." he said as the AI quickly got to work.

The data mine only took 30 seconds as the sentient program went through all of the files avaliable and only copied what was important. **"Data Mine Complete."**

Several windows of data appeared on Jason's HUD, one was a small list of coordinates that showed several colony worlds he never heard of from the games. However, the Citadel was also listed.

Another window was a crew list, and next to that was a shipping manifest. The smugglers were delivering several crates of armor, biotic implants and prototype omni-tools the'd stolen from an Alliance outpost on the edge of the Terminus Systems to the Blue Suns stationed on Omega.

 **"Proximity Alert."** Jason stored the data, clearing his HUD and activated his cloak as one of the Turians from outside walked onto the bridge. "Hey Carter, we could use your help out here." he said looking at the pilot's chair.

Jason pressed himself against the terminal as the Turian smuggler walked past him. "Carter get your lazy ass up or-" he turned the seat and gasped seeing the dead pilot with his neck at an odd angle. "Spirits." he spun around only to run into something solid.

A shimmer rippled through the air as Jason reappeared. Before the smuggler knew what was going on the soldier rammed his combat knife into the man's throat splashing blue blood across the terminals nearby.

The body hit the floor just as another smuggler walked onto the bridge. "Shit." muttered the Human about to make a run for it. Jason whipped out his Hammer and shot him in the back of the head before he made two steps.

The gunshot alerted the five remaining smugglers who all drew their weapons and headed for the ship.

Jason knew that a firefight was coming and grabbed the dead Turian's assault rifle while crouching down behind a nearby terminal. The first smuggler came in with his own rifle ready and saw the three dead men and paused, the nano soldier stood up and fired a short controlled burst into the smuggler's chest. The smuggler's kinetic shields and light armor plating both collapsing as he fell to the deck.

The four remaining smugglers all stormed the ship with guns blazing, rounds tearing into the bridge.

 **"Maximum Armor"** With the rounds bouncing off of his now strengthened armor, Jason fired his pilfered rifle into their ranks. Two of the smugglers went down before they could get into cover while their friends had just gotten lucky.

Dropping to cover, Jason found a latch on the side of the weapon and pulled it, allowing the rifle to vent out the build up of heat before stashing the weapon and switching to his Hammer pistol. He waited a moment before leaping up. One of the smugglers did the same but the soldier's reflexes were far superior thanks to the nanites in his system.

The pistol registered once and the Turian fell to the floor with a hole between his eyes. The remaining smuggler began shaking when he realized he was all that was left. In an act of stupidity he lept to his feet and charged the armored soldier, firing his shotgun wildly as he went.

Jason let the round bounce harmlessly off of the suit before close-lining the smuggler. The man did a flip in the air before landing on his head with a sickening crunch. Everything fell silent after that.

"Mission Accomplished." said the nano soldier holstering his pistol. "Now let's see if they have anything we can use."

Leaving the ship, Jason approached one of the crates the smugglers had been unloading. After a quick scan of the serial number he ripped open the lid. Inside were several boxes filled with small chips. Each one a prototype omni-tool that the Alliance military had been working on for the last two years.

"Well, I think I can call this a bonus." he said reaching in and taking one of the chips. "SECOND, can you adapt this to the nano suit's systems?"

 **"Affermative. Nano suit's adaptability will merg the device into it's systems."** said the AI. Jason placed the chip onto the left forearm of the suit and watched as it seemed to absorb into it. The HUD flickered for just a moment before stabilizing.

With a flick of the wrist, the bright orange omni-tool sprang to life. **"Initializing...Compete. Device Designation: Omni-Tool, has been merged into nano suit's systems. Connecting to hardware."** The omni-tool flickered a few times before it changed from bright orange to dull red. **"Connection Established. Omni-tool can only function within nano suits proximity. Overall effectiveness in the field increased by 18%"**

Jason looked back into the crate and pulled out a second chip. "If that's the case, then I'll keep a spare on me for when I'm out of the suit." he said slipping the device into a pouch on his waist.

Using his new omni-tool, and the upgrades that the nano suit had given it. Jason hacked into the omni-tools of the dead smugglers and cleaned out all of the credits that they had on them, as well as what was stored onto the ship. Overall, the soldier walked away with 220,000 credits. Along with 10 grenades and a sniper rifle that he found in the ship's small armory.

Having done what he could, Jason turned to leave but paused as he looked at the open crates he'd gone through. "I can't just let this shit fall into the wrong hands." he muttered taking out some of the grenades he took from the ship.

Priming the explosives, he dropped one into each crate before walking away. The following explosions destroyed the crates and all of the weapons and devices contained within them.

With the job done, the soldier left the dockling area and headed back to Afterlife.

X

Aria read over the report before looking up at Jason who stood calmly with his arms crossed over his chest. "And the cargo was unsalvagable?" she asked skeptically.

"Destroyed in the firefight. Sorry, figured a few lost guns and armor would be worth it to have the smugglers six feet under." said Jason without hesitation.

The Asari wasn't pleased, she would have loved to have known what the smugglers were getting onto her station. She sighed, regardless...he got the job done like she asked. "Very well. You completed your obligation and I'll complete mine."

Jason mentally sighed, though a part of him knew that Aria was pissed off about the lost cargo he destroyed. She tapped a few keys on her omni-tool and his chimed a second later. "There's a cargo ship leaving Omega in four hours heading to the Citadel. The crew has been _informed_ not to mention your presense while your onboard. The ship's located on Dock-51."

Nodding, Jason turned to leave when she called out to him. "Hey, Maverick." he turned back to see her smirking. "Pick something from the bar, on the house. Consider it a thank you."

He left the VIP balcony and walked through the club, glancing at a nearby bar a moment before changing direction. He definately could use a drink after everything that's happened so far.

Sitting at the bar, the Turian running it looked up from the glass he was cleaning. "Aria's waved your tab. What'll it be?" he asked. Jason looked through the selection, being sure to look for those that were Human friendly.

Ordering a bottle of whisky, Jason removed his helmet and set it on the bar. Running a hand over his shaved scalp before pouring a decent shot into the glass provided and knocking it back. The light burn down his throat was a welcoming sensation.

"Shit, you look like you've seen a lot of fucked up stuff." said the bartender.

Jason's cobalt colored eyes regarded him a moment as he knocked back another shot before pouring another. "You have no idea." he muttered as the techno-beat of Afterlife pounded around him.

 _ **A/N: I was tempted to skip things ahead to ME2 when I was rewriting this, then I realized a lot of the elements that brought this story to life would be lost in the process. My main objective was to bring this fic back to life while making a series of changes of my own design, but I intend on keeping what DFX did somewhat intact.**_

 _ **Although, I'm still up for any more tips from folks with ideas. Keep the reviews coming, and I'll have the next chapter up within the next couple of days.**_


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Going through the reviews that I've been getting, I got a pretty good feeling that I'm doing right by my predecessor with this thus far.**

 **Someone had asked about how it was possible for Jason to take off the nano suit, and for those that didn't catch that part of the last chapter you'll all see it soon enough. I can assure you that the reason behind this little plot twist will be explained later on down the road, so hang on to that thought until then for the time being.**

 **I'm starting to pick up speed with the updates, though don't be surprised if I slow down every once in a while to make sure things are ready enough to be posted. But for now...**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 _ **Jason Harlow**_

 _ **New York City - New York**_

 _ **August 23, 2023 - 1600 hours**_

 _Jason walked through the underground maintenance area, observing the signs of activity and taking samples from several points of interest. His only objective was to locate a sample of alien tissue from the crash site above._

 _He knew that the Ceph were going to be trouble. But the problem with the alien scourge was that they were as formidable as they were numerous. Jason was used to fighting Humans, hense why he was able to take down all of the CELL assholes that were guarding the area with such ease._

 _And thankfully the nano suit had given him that extra amount of power to do it._

 _Stepping out of the large hole in the ground and scanning the heavily damaged area outside. Jason kept his assault rifle up as he made sure that there weren't any hostiles._

 _The soldier turned around in time for a Ceph trooper leap down from a chunk of debris from above and knocking him to the ground._

 _The alien's ten glowing red eyes flickered briefly before it raised it's left arm and stabbing it into Jason's chest. The soldier coughed as the blade went through the suit and into his flesh. His HUD flickered with static as the Ceph's arm gave off sparks._

 **"** _ **Warning. Suit Breached. Contaminants Detected. Security Measures Implimented."**_ _said SECOND as the bladed arm was repelled allowing the suit to repair itself. Jason brought his foot up and kicked the Ceph hard into the wall giving him time to get to his feet and pick up his dropped rifle._

 _Sweeping left and right, the Ceph trooper was nowhere to be found. "Dammit, where did he go?" Jason growled quickly switching to his nano vision._

 _The thermal-like vision picked up several fires burning nearby, one heat signature moved quickly through the rubble before sprinting toward him._

 _Jason ducked under the Ceph trooper's swipe, swinging the butt of his rifle up and smashing it against the alien's head snapping it back and knocking it's helmet off revealing the living gelatinous mass underneith._

 _With the alien staggering from the hit, Jason unloaded half of the rifle's clip into it and dropping it to the ground. Waiting a few moments, the soldier approached the downed Ceph and kicked it to make sure it stayed down._

 _"Alright, let's get to work." he muttered while shouldering his rifle and set about removing a tissue sample for Gould to examine._

 _Cutting out a piece of gel-like flesh and putting it into a test tube, Jason grunted, falling to his knees as his whole body started to ache. His HUD flickered as data scrolled across it, "...what's happening." Jason gritted out through the pain._

 _A DNA strand appeared on the HUD as several points on it started to change._ _ **"Ceph nanties detected in bloodstream. Nano suit is reconfiguring your body to adapt to the infection."**_ _said the AI._

 _After a few moments the pain slowly faded away and the HUD went back to normal._ _ **"System Rebooting"**_ _Jason stood back up feeling different than he did before. He felt stronger, more alert. Whatever the nanites were doing to his body was starting to cause drastic changes with the help of the nano suit._

 _"What the hell's happening to me?" he wondered shaking his head before heading to the Ceph crash site to finish the task Gould had given him._

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Cargo Ship** _ **Lunar Eclipse**_ **\- Citadel Space**

 **August 24, 2180 - 1043 hours**

Jason slowly awoke from where he had fallen asleep behind a stack of crates in the hold of the cargo ship.

Aria had been right, the Human crew allowed him passage and were paid off to keep their mouths shut about their 'passanger'. Then again, everyone on the ship went out of their way to avoid the large Human in the powerful suit of armor. Which was fine by him.

Bringing up his newly acquired omni-tool, Jason began clicking through several programs. "SECOND, what's our status?" he asked while going over a detailed map of the Citadel he managed to pull from the extranet.

 _ **"Current position is within Citadel Space. ETA to Citadel Station is Two Hours."**_ said SECOND.

Throughout most of the trip the nano soldier had gathered as much information about the Citadel from the extranet as he could. Marking key locations that could be important. On top of the list was looking for a place he could live and shops that could help him with weapons and upgrades.

He had managed to find a one bedroom apartment in the lower wards, affordable, the location was very secluded, and the landlord didn't ask for anything more than just the rent. A perfect spot for someone in his position.

SECOND had been able to locate a weapons shop that dabbled in custom made weapons and armor. And from what could be found, the place was more or less a apart of the blackmarket. A no questions asked kind of place which worked in his favor.

The weapons he now had were decent enough, but he wouldn't mind having ones that were better suited for different situations. And a little variety wouldn't hurt either.

After going over several streams of data, Jason brought up a dossier that he and the suit's AI had been working on the last few days.

The file showed his picture with forged information that wouldn't stand out too much. The dossier read that he was born on June 28, 2155 on a small colony world on the edge of Terminus Space. Parent's were killed when mercs attacked their home. Joined his colony's militia to defend against another attack. After several years, he is now moving to the Citadel to look for employment.

The file also showed a forged medical history depicting his blood type and other genetic traits so that any hospitals wouldn't get suspicious.

It wasn't much, but it had just enough information to ensure that Citadel Security wouldn't come asking questions about him being there. Now the only thing he had to do was get it into the system.

'Attention crew, we are approaching the Citadel. One hour before docking.' said the captain over the intercom. Closing down the omni-tool, Jason gathered up his supplies and prepared to depart from the ship. He had to plan this just right to get past C-Sec without being detected.

X

The _Lunar Eclipse_ had docked without difficulty. C-Sec had been waiting and conducted a thorough search of the ship and it's cargo. Much like they did with any and all cargo ships that entered the station.

Even though the stations police force couldn't find anything out of the ordinary onboard the shipping vessel. They failed to notice the slight shimmer in the air that slipped past them and into the station.

Jason moved from shadow to shadow, remaining cloaked while keeping a close eye on his energy meter as he moved. His first task was getting into the C-Sec Academy.

After passing the docking bay checkpoint undetected, the super soldier slipped into the elevator. Pressing himself to the wall so that anyone who stepped inside wouldn't bump into him and discover him.

The lift decended at an agonizingly slow pace before opening up at the academy. A few uniformed officers were scattered throughout the room but the place was relatively quiet. Seeing the front desk empty, Jason crept over to it and tapped his fingers on the holographic display. "SECOND, locate a terminal that hooks up to the Citadel's main data hub." Jason whispered as he crouched down behind the desk.

The AI scanned the system for a minute, **"Terminal Located."** A small map of the academy appeared on his HUD and a waypoint was displayed in a small office down a long corridor.

"The Executor's office...why am I not surprised." Jason muttered. Checking if the coast was clear, he moved as quickly and quietly as possible from behind the desk over to a supply room just off of the main floor. Inside, he deactivated his cloak before bringing up his omni-tool and hacking the door lock. The holo-lock turned red with an exclamation point in the center signifying that it needed maintanence.

With the door taken care of, the nano soldier climbed ontop of a small shelf and taking out his knife. Sticking the blade into the small space between the metal ceiling tiles, he pried one of them off making an opening big enough for him to fit through before resheathing the knife and climbing up through it.

 **"Nano Vision Engaged."** The crawlspace above the C-Sec Academy lit up as Jason removed all his weapons except for a Hammer pistol. Setting them aside within the crawlspace before he began to slowly crawl his way through, being extra careful not to bumb or slam anything too hard and alert those below.

His motion tracker picked up the occasional blip from a passing C-Sec officer but no problems so far.

The small crawlspace opened up to a much larger area, his motion tracker picking up over two dozen blips clustered somewhat together in the large room below. _"Must be the the offices."_ Jason thought to himself as he looked around a moment.

He knew he couldn't step on the ceiling tiles. Metal or not, the people below would hear his footsteps no matter how much noise they were making, and the chance of the surface collapsing beneath his weight was too much of a chance to take.

Above the large space was several low hanging pipes that must have been used for water and electricity, a couple looked like they could support his weight and he decided to go for it.

Jason took a few slow steps out of the small crawlspace before getting into position. Finding the right pipe, he leapt from his spot and grabbed it. Swinging his feet up and wrapping his legs around it so that he could start crawling across.

He reached about halfway when the pipe gave out a low creaking noise. Jason froze. Holding his breath and praying that the pipe didn't give. He then felt and heard water running through it and he let out a sigh before he started moving again.

Reaching the end of the open space, he slipped into the crawlspace on the other side. The trip was a lot shorter than the last one and he found himself above the Executor's office in seconds according to the map he had on hand.

Taking out his knife again, Jason pried off a ceiling tile and set it aside. Poking his head inside he saw that the room was empty and the door was locked. His omni-tool flared, hacking into surveilliance equipment that may have been inside before dropping into the office.

"SECOND, monitor all foot traffic in the area and alert me if someone gets close." said Jason as he approached the terminal.

 **"Affermative."** said the AI as the soldier got to work.

With SECOND's help, Jason managed to hack into the Executor's terminal and began searching for what he needed. It took a minute, but the nano soldier managed to find the access into the Citadel's main information hub. Activating his omni-tool, he started to upload his dossier into the station's databanks. A loading bar appeared on his HUD and started to fill up as the download started.

 **"Proximity Alert."** Jason looked down at his motion tracker and saw someone walk by the office, nothing to worry about yet.

The loading bar reached 75% when SECOND warned him again. This time the blip was heading straight to the office with another close behind it. "Shit, come on...come on..." Jason muttered as the bar completely filled. "SECOND reset the terminal to the way it was before." he said deactivating his omni-tool.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** he disappeared from sight just as the lock on the office door turned green and two Turian's entered.

"What the hell was that Vakarian! I gave you a direct order!" Executor Pallin shouted as he spun on the other Turian.

"Sir, the hostage was in danger. I couldn't just sit by and let that psycho blow their head off!" shouted the officer.

Jason pressed himself as hard as he could into the corner, his cloak making it so that the two couldn't see him as long as he remained motionless. And from his position, he knew that the officer being chewed out by the Executor was Garrus Vakarian.

As he watched the small argument unfold, he couldn't help but notice that the ceiling tile he had removed was still open. Sweat broke out across Jason's brow, if either of them noticed the opening he was fucked.

The Executor sighed, "Look, I understand your passion for getting the job done. But you know that there are procedures in place for a reason. I need a detective that follows orders and doesn't go off taking the law into their own hands."

Garrus' mandables clicked hard with irritation, talons clenched into fists. "Yes, sir." he gritted out before storming out of the office.

Pallin shook his head before sitting at his desk and booting up his terminal. He looked up from his terminal when he heard something shift, turning in his chair he saw his office still the same with nothing out of the ordinary. With a shrug he went back to his terminal, not seeing the ceiling tile slide back into place in the corner.

X

Getting out of C-Sec was much easier than he thought it would. Jason played it off as the security measures of the Citadel wasn't as amped up as it will be in a few years.

After gathering up his weapons and leaving the academy, the soldier decided to set up shop in the apartment he located. But before he did that he needed clothes. The only thing he had on under the nano suit was the skin tight underlayer and he couldn't just walk around with just that.

Doing a quick search, the nano soldier found an antique clothes shop just off of the Presidium Commons. He had to stop several times to let his suit's energy replenish to maintain his cloak and avoid being seen, but he made it to the small store with little to no difficulty.

Normally he wouldn't use his cloak so much. But the nano suit would draw far too much attention for his liking and decided to be as low-key as possible until he reached his new home.

The shop was indeed small. There were several racks of clothes that each had a label from what era in time they were from and the prices asked for them. The place was run by a man that looked to be in his early fifties who seemed to enjoy his job very well.

Jason slipped inside, deactivating his cloak and removing his helmet to look as non-threatening as he could. before approaching the shop keeper. "Welcome friend, can I interest you in anything today?" asked the man looking up from his counter.

"Just looking for right now, thanks." said Jason being respectful.

The man looked at his suit and weapons, "You a merc son? Never seen armor like that before."

"Prototype. And no I'm not a merc, just testing out some new equipment for combat effectiveness." Jason said casually, finding several t-shirts, jeans and a pair of black combat boots on the racks before him.

He also grabbed a large duffle bag to carry the stuff in when his eye caught a slightly worn black leather jacket hanging on the wall next to it. It reminded him a lot of the jacket his dad wore every once in a while, and his dad used to say it was his lucky jacket since it was the one he wore when he met his mom.

Taking the jacket as well, he piled the stuff onto the counter so the man could ring him up. "Fan of the classics eh?" said the man chuckling. Jason smirked.

"What can I say? I like the comfort that comes with the past." the two shared a laugh as the man added it all up.

"Alright, that comes to 120,000 credits. But since you seem like such a nice kid, I'll drop it to 90,000." said the man. Jason smiled as he brought out his omni-tool and transfered the funds.

"Thanks a lot." he said storing all of the stuff along with his weapons into the duffle bag before leaving the store.

Seeing no one around, Jason walked to a rapid transit station and punched in the address for the apartment that he had found while on his way here.

While he waited, he picked up the sounds of a slight scuffle going on in an alley a little ways away. Curious, Jason slipped his helmet back on and activated his cloak as he headed to the alley's opening.

Inside, he saw a Batarian with a gun was aiming at two Asari, one of them looking no older than eight as she clung to the older one's side. "I said give me your money! I won't ask again!" the Batarian barked now aiming at the child who tried to hide behind her mother.

Jason set the duffle bag by a dumpster before stalking forward. Putting himself between the mugger and the two Asari as he deactivated his cloak. "What the hell!" the Batarian shouted aiming up at Jason's head.

The soldier's hand lashed out and grabbed the pistol, the light material crunching easily in his grasp before his other hand grabbed the mugger by the throat and slammed him into the wall.

 **"How do you like being at someone else's mercy."** he said, his voice altered and sounding more like Prophet's.

"L-Look, can't we talk about this?" quivered the Batarian in fear as his four eyes starred into the blood red visor.

Jason brought his face closer, **"If I catch you doing this to someone else, they'll never find your body."** he squeezed the alien's throat a bit to send the message home before he tossed him side.

Turning to the two Asari while the Batarian scampered away, "Are you two okay?" he asked, deactivating the voice filter.

The older Asari was knelt down and hugging her daughter while looking up at him wide eyed, "We-We're okay...thank you." Jason nodded before making his way toward the alley entrance.

"W-wait!" he paused before turning back and seeing the young Asari looking up at him in wonder. "Who are you?"

The soldier couldn't help but smirk under his helmet. "Maverick." he said before activating his cloak and disappearing from sight. Leaving the two shocked Asari behind him.

X

The lower wards weren't as bad as Jason had been expecting. Then again, the games didn't really capture what the rest of the Citadel looked like save for a few specific parts.

This section of the Citadel was more or less reserved for those would couldn't afford to live on the higher wards with the rich and powerful. This would explain why the place seemed so crowded.

Shops lined the streets with people moving about on their daily lives. Jason walked among them, having changed out of the nano suit in the privacy of the automated skycar the rapid transit provided. He now wore a black t-shirt under the leather jacket with jeans and his combat boots over the body glove he had been wearing beneath the suit. The second omni-tool he acquired attatched to his left arm as he hefted the duffle bag that held the rest of this clothes, weapons and the nano suit.

Finding the apartment building wasn't hard with the map he and Prophet managed to find. Walking inside, he approached the Volus that was running the desk. "Greetings, Earth-clan. _click_. What can I do for you today?" he asked.

"I'm here about apartment 5-E. I sent the message several days ago." said Jason.

The Volus went through his terminal for a moment, "Ah yes. _click._ Mr. Harlow, it's a pleasure to meet you in person. _click._ Did you have any questions about the apartment?"

"What's the rent?" asked Jason. " _click._ I ask for only 700 credits per month. However, I will also require the first and last month in advance with the deposit. _click._ " Jason brought up his omni-tool and sent the funds to the landlord.

"Thank you Mr. Harlow. _click._ I hope you enjoy your new home. _click._ Be sure to come to me with any problems. The name is Bora Xon." said the Volus while sending the digital key to his new tenant's omni-tool.

Jason shook the small alien's hand before getting into the elevator and riding it up to his floor. Walking down the corridor and finding. 5-E he waved his omni-tool over the lock causing it to switch from red to green before it opened.

The apartment was small, but perfect for one person. The kitchen and living room were connected into one large space. The kitchen had all the nessesities. The living room had a couch, coffee table, arm chair and a t.v. on the wall with a bay window that overlooked the streets below.

A small hallway branched off leading to a bedroom with a queen sized bed, a desk with a private terminal, a bathroom and a large closet. It was just what the soldier needed. Spartan, but all that he needed.

After locking the door and walking into the bedroom, Jason tossed the duffle bag onto the bed before heading into the bathroom. Before he did anything else, he needed a shower. It had been way too damn long since he'd had one after all that has happened.

Stripping down and getting under the hot stream of water, the nano soldier sighed as he felt his muscles starting to loosen up a little. He had lost track of how long he had been fighting. It all seemed to blend together in one large firefight that never seemed to end.

His body which should have been riddled with scars given his past fights was surprisingly clear of any past damage. The Ceph nanites that had invaded the nano suit, and in turn himself, did a surprising job of repairing any damage after they had been reprogrammed by SECOND and the suit itself.

And with what he knew was coming in this universe, he was going to need every advantage that he could get.

Finishing with his shower, Jason threw on a fresh pair of clothes. Storing the nano suit and his weapons securely in the back of the closet before heading out of his apartment.

X

The next few hours were spent gathering up food, some extra clothes from this era and other things for comfortable living. When the apartment was filled with what was needed Jason left his apartment once again and decided to get a good look at his new environment.

With his Hammer pistol tucked into the inner pocket of his leather jacket, he looked at the shops and vendors that were set up along the ward. Scoping out any place that could prove useful. But above all else he had another reason for looking around.

He needed a job.

After getting his new clothes, his apartment, food and other supplies he had only about 50,000 credits left. And that amount wouldn't last long unless he had a stready income. That and it would also help him blend in a little better.

Searching the various shops, Jason stopped at one in particular. The name on the place reading 'Thrax's Armaments'. Bringing up his omni-tool, the soldier saw that the place he and SECOND had found and the shop before him were one and the same. "Now we're getting somewhere." he said walking through the front door.

Inside, the walls were lined with racks of armor and weapons sealed inside of bullet proof cases to avoid theft. There were also a couple of kiosks that displayed various mods of all kinds that any merc or soldier would need for any operation.

Jason turned his attention from the wears to the large krogan who was running the counter. He immediately pegged the shopkeeper as a former warlord. He had deep scars running across his face and was missing his left eye while the other was a deep green. His skin a dark-tan with small spikes jutting out along his jaw, his crest was a rusty-brown color that was also riddled with scaring.

But it was the way he held himself that had the nano soldier's attention. Guarded, prepared for someone to make a wrong move so that he could end them without batting an eyelash. An experienced veteran.

"Welcome Human. See something you like?" asked the Krogan in a deep booming voice his species was known for.

"Just looking for some good firearms." said Jason approaching the counter. "Preferably ones that are accurate with good stopping power."

The Krogan grunted, "Gotta be more specfic than that. Gotta good surplus of things that could scramble a few brains."

"I'm pretty partial to assault and sniper rifles, occasionally shotguns depending on the scenario." replied the nano soldier. The shopkeeper took out a data pad and showed him a list of the provided armaments that he browsed through with careful eyes.

A lot of the weapons and the companies that made them he recognized, and from the statistics of each gun it took him a surprisingly short time to pick out what he was looking for;

A Crossfire-VII Assault Rifle, a Volkov-VIII Sniper Rifle, and finally a Hydra-IX shotgun to tie it all together. "I read that your shop can do special jobs as well." Jason said after making his selections.

"Depends on the job." rumbled the Krogan.

Jason slowly reaching into his jacket to remove his pistol when he saw the Krogan tense slightly. His right hand reaching under the counter, most likely to grab the concealed weapon the nano soldier knew had to be there.

He raised his other hand non-threateningly as he brought out the Hammer and ejected the magazine from the weapon, popping out the round in the chamber as well before laying them all on the counter.

The shopkeeper relaxed slightly as he observed the weapon and ammo before him. "Ammo fed. No mass acceleration generator. Uses gunpower...how the hell did you get something like this?" he asked looking the pistol over with a close eye.

"I have my sources. I wanna know if you can make it work like regular weapons." said Jason.

The Krogan picked up the lone bullet and looked it over. "It can't be done. To put mass accelerators in such weapons could prove to be catastrophic to anyone that pulls the trigger." he sat the bullet down, his green slitted eye looked at the soldier, "I can, however, make more of the ammunition for it. The metals involved are still used nowadays. It will be time consuming and costly though."

"How much for the ammo and the weapons" he asked.

The shop keeper mulled it over, "13,000 creds a crate, clips and ammo for the sidearm. Plus an additional 35,000 for the guns. 48,000 total."

"How bout 38,000? I'm also looking for a job." said Jason.

The Krogan leered at him skeptically, "You know weapons?" he asked.

"I'm a fast learner." replied the soldier, holding strong and not budging on the subject.

The two glared at one another for a solid minute. "42,000 and you start Monday." said the Krogan.

Jason mulled it over before nodding, "Alright, deal." he said causing the to Krogan smirk.

"Bout damn time I got some extra help, people usually avoid this place like a plague."

"Can't understand why with the prices you're offering." said the nano soldier, noticing the prices for equipment were a lot cheaper than the other shops he had been to.

The Krogan nodded and held out his large, three-fingered hand, "Names Urdnot Thrax."

Jason shook his hand, "Jason Harlow. You look like you kicked some serious ass back in the day."

Thrax scoffed, "Back in the day. I still got another century or two before I'm ready to hang it up." he looked at Jason over, "You look like you've caused some damage. You Alliance?"

The soldier shook his head, "Didn't like their rules. Lived on a colony world on the edge of the Terminus. Joined the local militia to make sure mercs would think twice about attacking my home." he lied smoothly.

The Krogan chuckled, "I had a good feeling about you when you walked into my shop. You look and hold yourself like a warrior. Ready for combat in a moment's notice. I have a feeling you and I are going to get along just fine." he said clapping Jason on the back forcing him to plant his footing or risk being knocked forward.

Thrax lead him into the back where multiple crates of weapons, armor and parts were scattered everywhere in a very large room. Several work tables were set up to make and upgrade the equipment.

At one table, someone was hunched over with a small blow torch working on a shotgun that was in pieces. "Reena! Come meet our new employee!" Thrax shouted loud enough for them to hear.

The person set down the torch and stood up. Jason recognized the individual as a female Quarian wearing a black and red enviro-suit with a black visor. Her luminesent eyes shown clearly as she approached them.

"Hi. Reena'Vior nar Tonbay. It's nice to meet you." she said kindly holding her three fingered hand out.

Jason smiled, "Jason Harlow. Judging by your name, can I assume you're on your pilgrimage?"

Reena looked surprised, "You know about our right of passage?"

"I've learned quite of few things about alien culture. It's a big galaxy out there, why stick with just my own kind?" replied the nano soldier.

The Quarian nodded, "That's understandable. I haven't met many Humans that are so open minded."

Jason shrugged, "People fear that which they don't understand. And they normally respond with violence and hate when their afraid or confused. I was raised better than that. And from what I've learned, I've grown sympathetic for those out in the verse that have had it rough." he looked at Thrax as he said this.

Thrax narrowed his eye, "You know of the Genophage?"

"I think it was an act boardering on a warcrime. The Salarians and the Turians should have been respecting your race for dealing with the Rachni, not chemically neutering your people and forcing you to suffer. The Krogan were proud warriors. I think they have a right to be that way once again." replied the nano soldier.

Everything was silent. Reena looked between them wondering if she should get out of the way or not. Thrax smirked, "Heh, to meet someone who actually gives a shit. Never thought I'd see the day."

"The universe surprises you everyday. And I'm not what you could consider a 'normal' Human." said Jason getting a chuckle out of the Krogan and a small giggle out of the young Quarian. "So," the soldier said clapping his hands and rubbing them together, "Mind showing me what I'll be doing when I start?"

For the next three hours Thrax and Reena showed him what they did and how to go about building and upgrading the weapons they got on a weekly basis. And since he would be working out of the shop.

The old Krogan told him that it would take about a week overall to get the supplies they needed to make the ammunition and magazines for his Hammer. And about another three days to make it all. But it would have been worth the wait for Jason to get what he needed.

After learning about what he'd be doing, Jason sent Thrax the credits for the first order of ammuntion and for his weapons before heading back to his apartment.

X

That night, Jason stood ontop of the apartment building, gazing up at the view of the rest of the Citadel and the stars beyond. It was a beautiful sight, something the soldier could get used to. Even though he was all set up for the time being he couldn't help but think of what was to come.

It would be a little under three years before the Reaper threat would begin. And deep in his heart Jason knew that this was probably why the Librarian sent him here. To help Shepard stop the Reapers and the cycle of death and destruction they unleashed on the galaxy.

He didn't know why. But there had to be a reason why. Why would Shepard need more help to stop the Reapers if she had the capability on her own? What was he missing? What was different?

Sighing, Jason ran a hand over his scalp as he turned to head inside. Regardless of why he was here, he was here. And he would do whatever it took to ensure that the Reaper's plans failed. Consequences be damned.

 **A/N: And he's made it to the Citadel and established himself within the masses. But with a couple years before things really start getting heated, what will the nano soldier get himself into along the way.**

 **Keep the reviews flowing folks!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: It's surprisingly easy working with the pre-existing chapters that were sent to me, I've already got a good handful of them rewritten and ready to be posted, it's only a matter of time before I get the whole first part of the series out to the public.**

 **As for the series, I'm considering combining all parts of the story into one large one. Having them separated like I do with RE: Legacy but making it so that the whole thing can be read in one place instead of spread out.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The last week had been tame, after the constant threat of combat and death Jason barely knew what to do with his time.

Every morning he'd get up at 6:00AM and do a regiment of exercise to ensure his muscles were loose. Mainly push-ups, sit-ups, and chin-ups, which he had done from a poll he installed into the doorway of his bedroom.

After that he'd go for a run around the ward, catching the attention of several of the people who had also gotten up that early. Seeing a Human in black under armor and basketball shorts jogging through the streets had caught a lot of eyes. Jason had evenbeen flirted on by a couple Asari once or twice when they saw him jog by.

He'd started working at Thrax's shop two days ago, and he had proven to have a knack for weaponry in the eyes of the old Krogan. Jason had learned everything about the weapons and armor of this universe with the help of SECOND and was able to surpass Thrax's expectations in one day.

Working with Thrax was an interesting experience. The former warlord was chalk full of stories from his younger days and went into detail about his more honorable experiences.

The Soldier had also found a good friend in Reena. The young Quarian was very easy going and was always open for conversation as they worked. She was curious about Human culture and asked a lot of questions which had Jason chuckling every once in a while.

Everything was very simple, but Jason started taking notice of things around the wards everyday.

C-Sec presense in the area had been unusually high, and from what the soldier could see the crime rate had been steadily getting worse. Thefts, muggings, drug deals, and several murders had occured since he had arrived and the police were doing what they could to solve the problem. But were hard pressed for lack of man power.

Jason had a feeling in the pit of his stomach, he knew that something was going to happen and soon.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Citadel - Lower Wards**

 **August 29, 2180 - 2213 hours**

Getting off of his shift, Jason walked his usual route back to his apartment. They had received a large order of assault rifles that needed upgrades that had taken them the better part of the day to prepare for a unique order.

It was a good thing he had gotten a crash course in weapons before he started the job. His new knowledge really helped them get everything ready in nearly record time.

He reached about halfway home when a scream echoed out through the night. Jason whipped around and started running back toward where he heard the noise. Getting off the street and down several alleys until he found what he was looking for.

Three thugs, two Salarians stood off to the side with pistols while a Human was holding someone to the wall. Jason's sharp eyes picked up the sight of a familiar enviro-suit as the man gripped her throat. "Last chance, suit rat!" he hissed dangerously.

The nano soldier was moving in seconds, grabbing the first gunman and twisting his arm to the side causing him to shoot the other Salarian in the leg and dropping him to the ground in agony. The Human spun around only to receive a boot to the gut doubling him over before the same boot connected with his head knocking him against the wall next to a frozen Reena.

Twisting the first gunman's arm again until he heard a snap, Jason caught the dropped pistol and shot the already downed Salarian in the head as he tried to aim his weapon. Turning back, he pistol whipped the first gunman hard to the ground before putting a bullet in the back of his head as well.

The Human struggled back to his feet only to be dropped back down from a fist nailing him in the jaw, "Why did you attack her?" Jason demanded with a deadly tone.

"That's none of your damn business. Besides who cares? She's just a fucking suit rat." the man spat. Jason raised the pistol and shot his knee cap causing him to scream in pain.

"Answer the question, fuck-head." Jason said in the same tone.

"O-Our boss has been trying to buy out the Krogan's shop for months. But the old bastard won't budge...so he sent us to send a message." the thug whimpered as blood seeped from his wound onto the ground under him.

The nano soldier looked grim before pressing the pistol to the man's head. "Whose your boss?" the thug clamped his mouth shut, Jason slammed his foot down on the damaged kneecap getting a scream of pain out of the him. "V-Vera! Her name's Vera T'Soka! Sh-She's an Asari working for the Eclipse! They've been trying to get a foothold on the Citadel to give them an advantage!"

"Where is she!" Jason demanded pressing the barrel of the gun farther into the thug's forehead. "Warehouse District! Warehouse 19!" shouted the man.

The soldier glared at the thug one last time before squeezing the trigger, the gun went off and the man slumped with his brains splattered on the wall behind him.

Tossing the weapon aside, Jason went over to check on Reena. "Reena? You okay?" he asked, helping her up.

The Quarian looked at the three dead men before looking up at him, "You...killed them." she whispered. Jason nodded slowly, "They would have killed you, or worse. I did what I had to."

Reena wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly, "I know. Thank you, Jason. You saved my life." The nano soldier hugged her back. When they seperated Jason put his hands on her shoulders.

"If you want you can crash at my place tonight. It's a lot closer than where you're staying at."

She looked like she was going to turn him down, but after what had happened she didn't want to be alone.

When she agreed, Jason activated his omni-tool and fired the hack program SECOND had helped him develop. The program quickly drained the credits out of the dead thugs' omni-tools and added them to his own before leaving the alley behind with his Quarian friend.

X

Jason watched from the kitchen counter as Reena laid his the couch, a blanket wrapped around her as she slept peacefully despite what had occurred a few short hours ago.

He had a lot of dicipline and patience from the way his parents raised him and from his training. But he couldn't just take what had happened sitting down. Reena had become his only friend in this world, and he be damned if he allowed something bad to happen to her.

After making sure she was comfortable, the nano soldier went into his bedroom. Pulling the nano suit from his closet and started to put it on. "SECOND, I'm putting in some coordinates. We're going hunting." he said when he slipped the helmet on.

 **"Initializing...Coordinates Accepted."** said SECOND as Jason finished gathering his weapons.

"Find anything you can on an Asari named Vera T'Soka, Eclipse affiliation." he said walking through the apartment and out the door, locking it behind him.

 **"Searching. Subject Located."** The dossier appeared on the HUD revealing a purple Asari with red markings on her face.

"Vera T'Soka. Eclipse Captian. Fomer Asari Commando, Special Ops Division. Discharged from duty for continueiously disobaying orders and for an overly sadistic nature." Jason shook his head as he took the stairs. "Sounds like a real bitch." he muttered reaching the ground floor.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** the soldier vanished from sight as he headed toward the rapid transit hub.

X

The Warehouse District looked somewhat similar to the ones he'd seen on Omega, only a lot _cleaner_ for lack of a better term.

Since it was during the Citadel's night cycle, the district was lit up by lamps on the many buildings in the area. Yet at the moment, Jason found himself within the shadows ontop of a stack of shipping containers overlooking the area around Warehouse 19.

His visor was zoomed in as he observed four men in yellow Eclipse armor patrolling the area outside the warehouse. Three Human and one Salarian.

All four mercs were tagged and gave off a red glow that Jason could see even if something was in his way. **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** said SECOND, two yellow waypoints appeared on the HUD. One that revealed a hidden path through the maze of shipping crates that lead right up to the warehouse behind the guards. The other one was over an open skylight of the warehouse, one that he could reach by jumping from place to place.

 _"I can't risk the guards outside catching me by surprise. I'll go with option A."_ Jason thought as he slipped down from the shipping crates and followed along the maze toward where the waypoint was located. Being sure to keep the tagged mercs within his HUD's range as he moved.

Staying in the shadows, Jason pressed his back to the last crate before the opening leading to the warehouse entrance. Peering around the corner, he saw the four guards in groups of two on either side of the area. Even in their positions they barely had 50% of the docking area in their sights...a mistake that will cost them.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** Jason slipped out of the shadows and moved out into the open. Creeping along the walls and sneaking behind the first two guards.

"Why the fuck are we even out here?" asked the Human as he checked his assault rifle.

"We're doing it because we're being paid to do it. Simple as that." replied the Salarian.

Jason took out his knife and kept an eye on the two other guards as they walked out of sight. Deactivating his cloak to conserve energy, he stabbed his blade into the back of the Human's neck severing his spine and killing him instantly.

The Salarian guard spun around in shock seeing his partner fall but never got the chance to raise his weapon when the super soldier grabbed his head and snapped it violently to the side.

Grabbing the bodies, nano soldier dragged them into the shadow of the warehouse and dumped them into an empty crates. **"Proximity Alert."** The two other guards were coming back. Jason lept onto the container where he hid the bodies and activated his cloak just as they came around the corner.

"Where the hell did they go?" asked one of them.

"Probably a piss break. Lazy assholes." muttered the other one.

Both stopped when they saw a pool of blood where Jason had stabbed the first guard. "What the...?" They heard a sound to their left and raised their weapons aiming at the shadows. Neither of them saw the shimmering form flying toward them until two heavy boots slammed into their heads and crushing them to the ground.

With all of the guards down, the nano soldier lept from the ground up onto the roof of the warehouse. Drawing his Hammer as he treaded to the open skylight and peered down.

Over a dozen Eclipse mercs were scattered all over the large room below. Some moving crates filled with weapons, others moving clear canisters that contained some kind of red substance. "SECOND, scan those canisters and cross reference the contents with the C-Sec database." said Jason zooming his visor in on the canisters.

 **"Scan Complete. Substance contained within the canisters is the biotic drug known as Red Sand. A stimulant enfused with Element Zero to cause temporary biotic abilities in those who use it. Highly addictive if used constantly."**

Jason tagged over five crates containing eight canisters of Red Sand. He also tagged seven crates that contained various weapons; pistols, shotguns and assault rifles all of various kinds and classes.

Looking through all of the mercs in the room, the soldier saw an Asari in the corner reading a datapad and drinking something. Her skin tone a deep purple with red markings around her face, all of which matched the image of Vera T'Soka.

"There's the Captain. So it goes without saying that if I take this bitch down then the Eclipse will lose a little strength here on the Citadel." Jason said to himself.

 **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** said SECOND highlighting two possible routes. The first yellow waypoint covered the whole floor. While the other was over a powerbox in the corner of the warehouse. "Guess it's either full frontal assault or stealth." he said looking at his options.

Deciding to go with stealth, Jason tagged all of the mercs in the room before shouldering his assault rifle. Drawing a pistol as he activated his cloak and dropping to the floor inside the building.

Staying as quiet as possible while keeping his pistol up, he skirted around the mercs as he made his way to the powerbox. Reaching his destination, Jason made sure that there weren't any mercs in the direct vacinity before bringing up his omni-tool and firing an overload into building's power unit.

The powerbox sparked before shutting down along with all of the lights within the warehouse causing all the mercs to drop what they were doing and drawing weapons. "What the fuck happened!" shouted Vera stomping over to his.

"We don't know, the power just went out." said one of the other mercs.

"Well get it back on, we got shit to do!" ordered the Asari as they all scrambled around in the darkness.

 **"Nano Vision Enabled."** Jason's visor lit up with thermal vision and all of the mercs glowed in the dark room. Two of them broke off from the group and headed his way. Drawing his knife, he laid in wait for the poor bastards to get close.

One merc stumbled over a stack of small crates giving the soldier the opening to approach his partner. Putting a hand over his mouth before slitting his throat quickly and laying the body down quietly.

"Hey Zack where are you?" called the other merc, still stumbling around. Jason crept up behind him, yanking his head back and driving the blade into his throat before he could cry out. The merc gurgled with blood in his mouth before collapsing onto the floor.

"What the hell was that?" asked one of the Salarian mercs as they all began to move around in the dark.

"Can't see a fucking thing." muttered a Human as he bumped into someone. "Hey! Watch it ass-" Two hands wrapped around his neck and snapped it before he could finish.

"Guys...I don't think we're alone in here..." whispered another merc keeping his back to the wall.

Vera had a pistol drawn, her body glowing with her biotics. The aura casting enough light that she spotted the bodies of three of her men dead on the floor. "Weapons up! We got company!" she shouted as the rest of the mercs brought out flashlights.

A Human merc brought his omni-tool on and looked around a moment. A black and silver hand shot out of the shadows behind him wrapping around his mouth before he was yanked backwards hard. His back slamming into a hard kneecap and shattering his spine.

"Hey! I think I found the problem!" someone called out as he started working on the powerbox.

"Well hurry the fuck up!" shouted another merc after activating the flashlight on his helmet. "Something's wrong here and I don't think-" he was cut off when a knife blade flashed through his field of vision, shattering through his visor and stabbing into his skull.

The lights came back on and every merc looked around only to feel fear.

In the center of the warehouse, surrounded by their five dead comrades was Jason. Holding the now dead Human in his grasp as he pulled the blood stained combat knife from the shattered visor.

"What the fuck is that!" screamed one of the mercs.

"KILL IT!" ordered Vera as all their weapons came up.

 **"Maximum Armor."** All the guns fired, the rounds bouncing harmlessly off of the now tough skin of the nano suit. The energy meter on the HUD dropping rapidly when each round connected. When their guns overheated, Jason deactivated his armor mode seeing his energy meter read 12%.

"My turn." he said in his altered voice before sprinting toward the closest merc. His fist connected hard with the their face, snapping his head to the side and sending him slamming into the wall on the other side of the warehouse. A second ran up with a shotgun only to receive an elbow to the solar plexis that shattered his ribcage.

The nano soldier yanked the shotgun from the merc as he coughed up blood before blasting him in the chest and ending his life. Spinning around he shot a another merc in the head, turning it into red mist just as the weapon over heated.

The remaining five mercs all opened fire on the one that killed the others. Jason activated his cloak and ducked out of the way of the hail of bullets.

"What the fuck are we dealing with?" asked a Human merc looking around with wide, fearfilled eyes. "I mean what the fuck is _it_!" he hissed while panicing.

"Shut up!" snapped Vera keeping her eyes focused. "It's just one of him, we can take this asshole out."

"HE KILLED EIGHT OF US ALREADY!" screamed one of her subordinates, his assault rifle shaking in his hands. "We don't know what the fuck we're dealing with! We need to call backup before-" a hail of assault rifle fire silenced the merc as his body was hit, his barriers shattering under the barrage before collapsed in a pool of blood.

Jason reappeared with his assault rifle in hand before opening up on the remaining mercs. One went down while the others managed to get into cover. All three leaping up and fired in return as he ducked into cover himself.

The former Asari Commando gritted her teeth before holding up her free hand. "You like hiding?!" she roared, launching a ball of dark energy that struck several canisters of Red Sand and exploded like the Fourth of July. The large metal walls of the warehouse were the only things stopping the blast from taking out the entire bulding as all three mercs hit the deck to avoid the fire and debris.

When the dust settled, almost half the warehouse was smoldering or on fire. "Heh, so much for him." said Vera, smirking in victory.

A shimmer in the air appeared behind one of the mercs before a knife blade was driven up through his jaw and into his brain. Jason appeared, drawing his Hammer and shot the other merc twice in the head as both bodies fell to the floor.

Vera spun around, her own pistol in hand as a heavy boot kicked it out of her grasp. The former Commando looked at her opponent. The black and silver armor was intimidating, so was the crimson visor that leered back at her, but she wasn't going to back down from this freak.

"You killed my men...you'll pay for that!" she roared, lashing her hand out and sending another blast of biotic energy at the armored being.

Jason ducked under the attack and grabbed the Asari's outstretched arm easily, squeezing with his enhanced strength until he felt the bones grinding. "What were you planning with the weapons and Red Sand?" he asked squeezing harder.

Vera grunted in pain, "I'm not telling you shit _freak_!" she shouted grabbing her pistol with her other hand and aiming at Jason's.

 **"Maximum Armor."** The Asari fired, the round struck the nano soldier in the forehead, snapping his head back. Grinning, Vera thought she had won, the grin quickly fell as the soldier slowly raised his head back upright.

"That...was a mistake."

Several more shots were fired until the pistol seized up from overheating. Jason knocked the pistol from the shocked woman's hand before kicking her hard in the stomach, sending her crashing into a crate and leaving a large dent in the side.

"I'm going to ask you again." said the nano soldier stalking forward. "What were you planning with the weapons and Red Sand?"

Vera spat out a glob of blue-purple blood, "Fuck you...you think you can stop us? We're the Eclipse! The people of the Citadel and the Council have had it too good for too long. It's about time someone else was incharge."

Jason grabbed the Asari by the throat and held her up, "You failed to realize one thing, Vera T'Sora."

The former Commando coughed, "Oh yeah? And what's that?" The nano soldier's red omni-tool opened up.

"There's always more than one way to get information."

The Eclipse Captain's omni-tool flared to life as SECOND began ripping everything of importance from it. Funds, data, troop and supply locations, shipping schedules. Nothing was safe from the AI's probing.

Vera's face turned into a mask of horror as she witnessed this. "NO!"

Jason tilted his head, "I was giving you a chance to redeem your disgusting excuse of a life. But it seems you are too concieted in the suffering of others to give a shit." When SECOND finished Jason tossed the Asari to the floor and drew his pistol, "Goodbye."

"WAIT-" _Bang!_ The merc leader slumped dead on the floor with a bullet in her head. Shaking his own, Jason went about hacking the omni-tools of the other mercs for anything else that was important. After five minutes, the soldier found himself 600,000 credits richer and had a huge cache of data on the Eclipse to filter through when he returned home.

Hearing sirens in the distance, the nano soldier decided to make himself scarce when he noticed a merc was still alive and cowering in the corner.

Walking over, the Human merc's face paled as he shook harder. "Oh god...no please I beg you! Please don't kill me...I...I..." Jason stopped several feet from him. The poor bastard was terrified of him...

Good.

Taking out his pistol again he stalked over. The man tried to scurry back but had his back to the wall and couldn't move any farther. Jason grabbed the front of his armor and lifted him up to eye-height, the barrel of his Hammer pressed to the underside of his chin.

"Listen well. You are going to wait for the police to arrive. And if I ever catch you wearing merc colors again. Their fate...will be yours." he said motioning to all of the dead Eclipse around them. "Am I clear?"

The man nodded vigorously, praying that this armored monster that had killed all the other mercs didn't do the same to him.

With the sirens growing louder, Jason threw the terrfied merc to the floor. Turning on his heel and vanishing from sight via his cloak as he left the warehouse and the district as he headed home.

X

Arriving back at the apartment, the Citadel's day cycle had just started to run as Jason walked through the living room.

Reena was still fast asleep, oblivious to the death and bloodshed her Human friend had committed against one of the biggest merc branches in the traverse.

After making sure she was safe and tucked in, the nano soldier walked to his bedroom. Locking the door behind him as he pulled his helmet off and sat at his desk. "Alright SECOND." he said activating his omni-tool and turning is private terminal on. "Let's see what the Eclipse are up too."

X

Garrus had seen a lot of things in his time as a C-Sec detective. And many of those that he never stopped seeing were dead mercenaries. But this time it was different...very different. "So what do you got for me Jonah?" he asked the Salarian leading the CSI team after the whole Crime Scene division went over everything for over an hour.

"16 dead, all Eclipse. Each one killed within the same timeframe." said Jonah putting the last of the evidence away.

"These guys were moving weapons and Red Sand. How the hell did customs miss that?" wondered the detective.

"Blackmail, bribery, hell I don't know. Bottomline is that they're all dead now. Including their Captain Vera T'Sora." said the Salarian.

Garrus shot him a shocked look, "Vera T'Sora? She's been on the wanted list in several systems for a while. What killed her?"

Jonah tapped his forehead, "One shot to the head. And there's something else." he motiong to all of the dead bodies. "They were all killed with precision. Stabbings, slit throats, broken necks, headshots. Whoever did this wasn't an amature."

"Could it have been a whole group?" asked Garrus.

Jonah shook his head, "There'd be more evidence to prove that. No, one person did all this."

The Detective recoiled, one person killed 15 armed mercs, plus their Captain, this precisely? It wasn't possible.

Garrus sighed as he saw other C-Sec officers holding back a small crowd that had gathered at the edge of the district. A few news crews among them. "I want this kept quiet for now until we know what the hell's going on." he said clearly as the other officers nodded.

"Detective! We got a live one!" shouted an officer.

Garrus walked over to where an EMT was examining an Eclipse merc who was trembling. "He's in severe shock. Whatever happened in there scared him pretty bad." said the Asari doctor.

"What did you see?" asked Garrus kneeling down next to him. He hated mercs, but this man was his only witness.

The merc looked up at him with wide, fear filled eyes, "He...He killed them all...nothing...nothing could stop him." he muttered as his eyes flickered back and forth as though something were after him.

"Who killed them? What did he look like?" Garrus pressed trying to get what he could.

"...he...he came from the...shadows..." the merc whimpered. "Black...silver and red...moved like a ghost...couldn't be stopped...bullets couldn't hurt him." his eyes looked off into the distance as his trembling got worse. "D-Death...he was a phantom that caused death!" he screamed loudly making them all rear back.

The EMT quickly injected him with a sedative to knock him out. "He's beyond traumitized. You probably won't get much else." said the Asari.

Garrus looked grim. What the hell could have killed all these men? What could scare one man to near death from the acts alone? "We're dealing with something new. And we need to get to the bottom of this."

"You thinking it's a vigilanty?" asked the nearby officer. Garrus looked at the 16 body bags. "Most likely...and I have a feeling that he's not done yet."

 **A/N: Oh, he's not done. Not by a longshot.**

 **With the rate I'm getting the chapters ready, I have the ability to start posting a bit more quickly for a little while. Review and let me know when you're ready for the next installment folks!**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: As promised in my last update, I got the next one ready in no time flat for every one's convenience. And more are swiftly to come.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 _"This is Emily Wong with the Citadel News Network. In the last few weeks there have been repeated reports of groups of mercenaries being completely erradicated with military-like precision. According to Citadel Security, the acts were commmitted by a single individual that most likely possesses unique armor making them unidentifyable."_

 _"Eye witness reports of the attacks state that the individual in question, 'moves like a ghost and is unaffected by gunfire'."_

 _"There have been five attacks that have only left a handful of survivors who had the right state of mind to surrender. It is also known that any and all civilians involved were not harmed in the slightest from whoever is committing the attacks."_

 _"Police sketch artists, with the aid of witnesses, have created and released this image of the vigilante responsible for the attack on the mercenary groups."_

 _An image of a black and silver armored man appeared with a red visor standing tall. "C-Sec has given the unknown vigilante the name 'Maverick', for his so called 'disregard for the laws put in place and for taking the law into his own hands against the mercs'."_

 _"On a personal note, this journalist has to wonder; is this 'Maverick' such a bad person? He has put his life on the line to ensure than dangerous individuals are stopped before they committ dangerous acts against the public here on the Citadel. Doesn't an average citizen have the right to defend their fellow person?"_

 _"For now all we can do is watch and wait. This is Emily Wong with the Citadel News Network."_

Executor Pallin switched off the tv before turning and looking at all of the officers and detectives gathered around him. "I want to know, who the hell released this to the press!" he roared to the room making several rookie cops flinch.

"We were suppose to keep this out of the public as much as possible. Now everyone on the station will be looking at this man as some kind of a hero." said the Executor as he put his hands behind his back. "He is _not_ a hero. This 'Maverick', is a vigilante. There are laws in place for a reason. A citizen cannot take the law into their own hands simply because they think it is right."

Pallin looked at each of them for a moment, "I want this man found. I want him brought in and booked. And for Spirits' sake don't let anymore information make it to the press." With that the meeting came to an end and all of the C-Sec officers seperated and went back to their jobs.

Garrus stood with his back to the wall with his arms crossed. "Six weeks, and this guy's got a reputation that's on par with a couple of Council Spectres." Chellick muttered shaking his head from his spot next to his fellow detective.

The Executor turned to them, "Garrus, Chellick any leads on this guy?" Garrus shook his head, "It's like the eye witness reports have said. The man's a ghost. Comes in, kills the mercs, destroys their operations, and vanishes without a trace. His suit is nothing seen in any military branch including the Alliance. Whoever he is, he's got his hands on some very powerful toys."

Chellick reached over and pulled up an evidence bag which contained a couple of shell casings, "This is the only thing that's really identifyable."

Pallin took the bag and looked at the casings. "He uses slug rounds with gunpowder?" he asked a little shocked.

Garrus nodded, "Human antique weapons that operate this well? Very rare. And this kind of ammo runs out awefully quick with what he does. He'll have to re-arm himself at some point, and there aren't many places on the Citadel where this kind of ammunition can be made."

The Executor nodded handing the evidence back to the detective, "Do what you can. And keep me posted when something new comes up."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Thrax's Armaments - Lower Wards**

 **October 13, 2180 - 11:21 hours**

Jason screwed in another component to the project he had been working on the last two weeks. Business in the shop had been rather slow lately, and he had decided to work on something that had been in the planning stages for a while now.

Ever since his first operation against the Eclipse, the nano soldier had been going out of his way to figure out what they were up to.

The data he collected lead to several smaller operations throughout the Citadel, many had to do with Red Sand being distributed to several known dealers throughout the station. Jason managed to take down two manufacturing locations, an outpost, and an underground recruitment center in the last six weeks since the first op.

However, the soldier couldn't help but shake the feeling that something else was going on. Something big. All of these smaller operations seemed to be connected, he just needed to find out what before anything else happened.

Shaking his head, Jason went back to his project as he began to think about what else had been happening.

After the night she crashed at his place, he found out that Reena had been staying at a rundown Turian shelter where the other occupants treated her like shit. When he saw the conditions his friend was living in, he all but strong armed the young Quarian to move into his place with him.

Reena had naturally fought against it, but caved after some time. But she refused to take his bed, saying that his couch was more than enough. Though that didn't stop Jason from stocking his kitchen cabnets with different flavored nutrient pastes and installing a bacterial sterilization unit for the bathroom so she could shower.

She had nearly been in tears with how kind her Human friend had been to her. Jason had shown her more kindness than all of the people she had ever met combined and she cherished their friendship more than anything in the traverse.

Things with Thrax had also been good. On really slow days the three of them would sit in the back and talk about anything. The old Warlord's war stories. Reena's upbringing on the Migrant Fleet. And even Jason's past experiences on the 'colony he grew up on'.

The three of them got along great, nothing could be better.

After putting the finishing touches, Jason looked down at his creation. Since he was so good with stealth in his operations past and present he decided that he needed something he could use at a distance that didn't make noise. But at the same time could penetrate kinetic barriers and deal a kill shot.

Hense the creation of the futuristic-looking compound bow that laid on the table before him. It was larger than the average compound bow, made of the strongest and most flexible materials he could locate. It had a grip similar to that of a rifle, along with a laser sight designator that could connect with his HUD when he is in the nano suit for precision shots.

The bow was also collapsable like the average weapon around here. Able to fold into a smaller form making it easier to carry, then unfold to it's full size at the press of a button located on the top of the grip.

The arrows for the bow were easier to make than the bow itself. Made from roughly the same materials making them strong and light weight so that they could travel a long distance despite possible wind resistance.

When he started working on the arrows, he had another idea.

Taking a few of the already made arrows, Jason filled the shafts with explosive gel and installing a pressure detonator at the base of the heads. In doing this, he had the ability to shoot a target and blow it up on contact.

After trial and error, the nano soldier had managed to perfect the explosive arrows. Each one having the payload to rival two frag grenades.

With what he could get, he was able to make 50 regular arrows and 20 explosive ones. And it wouldn't take much for him to get material to make more if he needed it. "Your project finally done?" asked Reena coming up behind him and looking at his work.

Jason grinned as he hit the button on the grip and unfolding the bow. "Yup. And it works better than I originally thought." The Quarian looked the weapon over with a careful eye. Very impressed at what her friend was able to create from raw material.

"It's very interesting. What kind of weapon is it?" she asked running her fingers over the nelon strings of the bow.

"It's a bow. A weapon we Humans used long before the invention of firearms. It's able to fire a straight arrow long distances and only makes the slightest of sounds. Perfect for stealth while hunting." Jason explained.

Reena looked from the weapon to him, "Why make something like this? It's so...primative."

Jason chuckled, "It may be primative, but with a few upgrades it could be utilized in any situation in this day and age."

"I think it could be effective." said Thrax approaching them. "A weapon that makes no sound, able to take down an enemy without detection. It's damn impressive. Let's see it in action."

Picking up one of the arrows, Jason knocked it and looked at an empty crate on the other side of the room over 80 feet away. Drawing the string back, the red laser sight marked the crate as the soldier let the arrow go.

The bolt made no noise as it shot across the room and imbedded itself into the metal crate exactly where the laser had laid. Jason lowered the bow with a satisfied smirk. "Perfect. Took me a while to correct the targeting laser."

Thrax walked over and pulled the arrow out of the crate and looked over it carefully. "Very impressive. What gave you the idea to make it?"

Jason shrugged, "Side job. Thought it could be useful somewhere down the line, you never know."

"You planning on hunting Varren?" asked the old Krogan, his lone eye narrowing.

The nano soldier smirked, "Something like that."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Industrial District - Citadel**

 **October 14, 2180 - 0130 hours**

Jason looked out from the rooftop he was perched on. The building below was smaller, four stories and had Eclipse stationed around it. His HUD had eight tagged, three on the rooftop, four milling around in the front entrence. The last was on the rooftop right next to the building he was perched on holding a sniper rifle.

The mercs had upped their security since their other operations were destroyed. But sadly it wouldn't be enough.

Taking out his newly dubbed ' _Predator Bow_ ', pulling out an arrow from the armored quiver on his back next to his assault rifle. He knocked it and drew back the string. His HUD lighting up with crosshairs and zooming in on the target as the mini-targeting system of the bow connected with the suit.

Releasing the shot, the arrow gave a low whistle as it flew through the air imbedding itself into the merc's neck and dropping him like dead weight.

Putting the bow away, Jason walked to the opposite side of the rooftop. Turning around before sprinting at full speed across and leaping over the 30 foot gap between buildings, landing on his feet lightly as he treaded over to the dead merc.

Removing the arrow and picking up the merc's sniper rifle, he saw that it was silenced. Not surprising since this place has a lot of people within ear shot that could hear a high powered rifle when it fired.

Taking up the merc's position, the nano soldier braced the rifle on the building's ledge and had his HUD link up with the scope as he looked down the sights at the men patrolling the rooftop. All three were standing at each corner of the rooftop, the last one was taken up by the door leading to the stairwell.

"Shooting gallery." he muttered sighting the merc farthest away from the other two.

The rifle gave a light chirp and the merc went down. Quickly sighting the next one before either of the remaining ones saw what happened, Jason squeezed the trigger, dropping the second. The last merc saw his buddy go down and ran over, reaching for his ear piece when the rifle fired one last time and blowing his brains out the back of his head.

Lowering the rifle and observing the four guards by the front door, Jason saw that they were competely oblivious of what happened to their comrades, but it wouldn't be long before they took notice.

Using his strength to break the sniper rifle in half, he ran and leaped to the next rooftop. The nano soldier jumped from building to building until he was on the one right next to the target. The issue was that this leap would have to clear a 65 foot gap. "Gonna need some help on this one." said Jason as he prepared to sprint. The nano suit pumping a bit more power into his muscles as he took off in a dead run, reaching the edge in seconds as he leapt high into the air.

The soldier cleared over half the distance when he realized he might not make it. Lashing his arms out, managed to grab the ledge, but the momentum caused him to make more noise than he had intended.

"Did you guys hear something?" asked one of the mercs down below.

Jason activated his cloak and vanished from sight as the four mercs on guard looked around a moment.

"Your fucking paranoid." muttered another merc as he lit up a cigarette.

"Hey, I'd rather be paranoid than fucking dead. You've heard about what happened to those other places in the last few weeks. Whose to say that tguy Maverick won't show up here?" said the first.

"Security's been beefed up, so stop being such a fuckin' pussy." said a third merc as they went back to their guard duty.

Letting out a breath, Jason pulled himself onto the roof cloak still activated as he walked past the dead bodies and toward the stairwell. But as he approached he saw the holo-lock start to cycle meaning that someone was coming out.

Pressing his body to the wall next to the door, the nano soldier pulled out his knife as a Salarian in full holo-tech armor walked out holding an assault rifle. "Hey anyone heard from...what the fuck?" Jason jumped out, yanking the merc's head back and burrowing the knife into his neck causing green blood to spray everywhere.

Snapping the man's neck for good measure, he dragged the body into the shadows and hid it before heading into the stairwell. "SECOND, run a scan. How many assholes are we dealing with?"

 **"Scans indicate 21 hostiles including those patrolling outside the building. The target it located on the fourth floor."**

The target was a Human named Marcus Kane. An information broker renoun for selling vital data to not only the Eclipse, but also the Blue Suns and the BloodPack. After going through all of the information he had gathered, Jason had yet to discover what the mercs were after. But during one of his raids he found the name of the man and it raised a few red flags.

Kane was known for having information to assist in what the Eclipse did in several systems. His being on the Citadel was not a good thing. And he was going to tell Jason why he was there.

Moving silently down the stairwell, the nano soldier entered the fourth floor with his cloak still active as he surveyed the large room. The whole floor was mostly office cubicals, plenty of places to lay in wait. There were five men stationed inside. Two of which stood on either side of a door that led into the main office.

 **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** Jason slipped from cubical to cubical, being sure to stay off the openfloor as much as possible. Crouching down, he waited as a merc walked past before grabbing him and taking him to the floor, stabbing him in the throat before he could utter a sound.

Stashing the body, he quickly made his way over to where another merc was standing. When his back was turned he stabbed his knife into his exposed neck and brought him down gently so he didn't make any noise.

Taking out his bow, he leaned out into the walkway and fired. The arrow went right into the last merc's exposed throat and dropping him.

"What was that?" asked one of the guards standing by the office. Jason reactivated his cloak and started running up the middle. Grabbing both merc's by the head and smashing them into the wall behind them crushing their skulls as the cloak fell.

With the mercs all dead, Jason walked back over to the door leading to the stairwell and shot an overload from his omni-tool into it and frying the lock. He repeated the same process with all of the doors leading out of the room before walking to the middle of the floor where the nano soldier reached into a stachel bag on his waist. Taking out several disc shaped objects that he tossed to various locations around the office, a green light appearing on the top of each one when they stuck to a surface.

With his task done, Jason headed for the main office door. The holo-lock was red meaning Kane didn't want to be bothered. Too bad for him.

The nano soldier pounded on the door three times before activating his cloak. "What! I told you assholes that I didn't want to be bothered!" shouted the man on the inside. Footsteps were heard as the lock turned green and the door slid open revealing a middle-aged man with a silver streak in his hair.

"What-" Jason grabbed his neck, deactivating his cloak as he dragged the struggling man into the office and overloading the door lock when it closed behind them. "Marcus Kane. Enjoying your evening?" his synthesized voice asked, throwing the man into the seat behind the large desk.

"Shit! It's you!" said Marcus wide eyed, "What the fuck do you want?"

"Information...and your going to give it to me." said the nano soldier, taking out his Hammer and pressing the barrel to the man's forehead.

"I don't know anything." said the information broker, reaching for the pistol on the desk.

Jason slammed his fist down onto the arm, shattering it and making a large dent in the metal desk. "I'm not here to play games, Kane." he said while the man screamed in agony from his broken arm. "I know all about you. Your personally responsible for the destruction of the colony on Sorren. It was your data network that gave the Blue Suns the information on how to bypass their defense grid and shut down their communications arrays from the inside."

The pistol pressed in harder, "You've profited off the death and misery of countless lives doing what you do. The only thing stopping me from pulling the trigger right now is that your more valuable alive at the moment."

Marcus held his shattered forearm, gritting his teeth. "What do you want?"

"I want to know what the Eclipse are after. Why are they on the Citadel? What are they planning?" Jason asked making sure that the remaining mercs in the building didn't come running to the fourth floor.

"I don't know much." the nano soldier pressed the pistol farther into the man's head, cocking the hammer back. "But I do know that it's big. Something that'll really shake up these councilor fucks and C-Sec assholes good." he confessed.

"And your roll in this?" said Jason lightening up on the gun only slightly.

"They needed someone to monitor C-Sec radio traffic and keep tabs on in and outgoing data to see whether or not they were catching on to what we were doing." Marcus chuckled, "Morons are so caught up in other cases they don't see what's happening right under their noses."

Jason pistol whipped the man across the face causing his head to slam into the table. He grabbed the back of the his neck and kept him there while pressing the pistol to the back of his head. "You think this is a joke? Maybe my last few acts against you fuckers didn't leave a big enough mark. Now, if you can't tell me about the main objective, then tell me why Red Sand is involved."

"Alright! Alright!" Marcus coughed as the nano soldier let him up. "We needed people who know the back ways within the Citadel. The Red Sand dealers on the station know their way around and gave us intel in exchange for the drugs. High grade shit, had the dealers wetting themselves to get their hands on it."

"I want the names and locations of those dealers. I want to know what they told you." Jason stood at his full height and towered over the wounded broker, "And I want to know whose running the show. Who do you report to?"

Marcus remained silent. Jason drove his fist hard into the man's stomach making him cough up blood. "It's in your health's best interest to answer me, Kane. Now, who is running the Eclipse here on the Citadel?!"

"J-Jona Sederis!" Marcus coughed out, making the nano soldier freeze.

Jona Sederis? The creator and head of the Eclipse, and also considered one of the craziest Asari in any corner of the galaxy? What could she possibly be doing here on the Citadel?

"Where is she?" Jason demanded.

The information broker glared at him, "I tell you...I'm as good as dead. Sederis will turn my ass inside out before smearing me on the wall."

The soldier lifted him out of his chair by the throat, "What makes you think you're not dead already if you _don't_ tell me?"Marcus reached out an grabbed the wrist on his broken arm just as an alarm started to blare throughout the building.

"Tough shit for you, asshole. All my men will be here in seconds to make sure you don't make it outta here alive." Marcus grinned.

The sound of chuckling made the merc's grin drop. "I've killed over 50 Eclipse mercs in the last few weeks. You think 15 more will fair any better?" said Jason tossing the man back into his seat and lifting his Hammer. The gun fired once and the man fell back in the chair with a hole in his chest.

Jason activated his omni-tool. "SECOND, rip everything you can from the terminal and his omni-tool." he said as he brought up the map of the building on his HUD. Over a dozen red blips were moving from the bottom floors toward the fourth and were massing outside the doors leading into the offices.

 **"Data Mine Complete."** said SECOND. Jason turned to the window and made sure that the mercs that were guarding the front weren't there, not wanting to be on the floor when the mercs made it through.

 **"Maximum Armor."** The reinforced glass shattered as the soldier threw himself through the window. Hitting the ground hard, making a small crater from the impact. Rolling his shoulders, Jason began to walk away from the building.

X

Back inside, the mercs made it through the doors successfully and began to storm the floor. Several of them walking right past the disc-shaped objetcs scattered around the offices.

X

Outside, Jason brought up his omni-tool and pressed a button as he kept walking.

X

The green lights on the devices changed to red and started beeping loudly drawing attention from everyone around.

The fourth floor of the office building exploded sending glass and debris scattering everywhere. The whole floor was encased in fire for a long while before the automated sprinkler systems kicked on to put it out.

C-Sec arrived fifteen minutes later to investigate the disturbance.

But Jason, AKA Maverick, had long since vanished into the night.

X

The next day, Jason rolled out of bed dressed only in a pair of jeans and staggered out of his bedroom to the kitchen. Reena was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of Dextro safe juice with a straw while watching the news. "Morning." she chirped happily.

Jason grunted a good morning as he poured himself a large cup of coffee. "Long night?" she asked looking his way.

"You could say that." her friend said downing the beverage and pouring another.

Reena gave him a look, any other person wouldn't have noticed it. But Jason had been getting pretty good at reading his Quarian friend's body language. "Never took you for one to go out drinking." she said looking back at the tv.

"I don't. Couldn't sleep last night so I went out for some late night exercise." said Jason.

The Quarian's head whipped back around and looked at him wide eyed, " _More_ exercise?" she said. Her glowing eyes roved over him a moment. Reena wasn't into Humans, but she honestly could admit that Jason had a body many women would drool over. "I don't think you could get any more ripped."

Jason chuckled, "Never hurts to stay in shape." he said coming over and sitting next to her.

The news switched over to the Asari anchor, _"We have just received a report of an explosion in the Industrial District that occurred late last night. C-Sec was unable to comment on the disturbance, but the bodies of over two dozen Eclipse members were located in the area leading many people to believe that the vigilante known as Maverick has struck again against the mercenary group."_

 _"This incident would make the sixth attack against the mercenary group here on the Citadel by the vigliante in the last six weeks. The reason behind the attacks are still unknown, but from the weapons caches and Red Sand canisters located at a couple of the scenes he seems to be doing his part in helping to clean up the streets."_

"Makes you wonder why he's doing what he does." commented Reena as she got up and headed to the kitchen.

"Maybe he's just an average citizen doing the right thing." said Jason casually.

The Quarian came back with a strawberry nutrient paste tube and sat back down next to him. "Maybe, but this seems way too organized and precise to be just an everyday citizen. He has to be a former military man to be able to pull off what he does."

Jason remained calm. Reena was a smart woman, but she didn't know anything that could come back to him.

She perked up a moment, "Oh I almost forgot!" she said setting her nutrient paste aside. "I invited a friend to come and visit the other day. After I told him that I was staying with a friend instead of the shelter, he wanted to come around. I hope you don't mind."

The nano soldier shrugged, "Hey, any friend of yours is always welcome." he smirked, "So...it's a _he_ huh?"

Reena's back straightened and he knew that she must have been blushing. "I-It's nothing like that!" she defended.

"They always say that at first." said Jason. "Then the next thing you know your invited to the wedding and are being asked to be the baby's godfather." he said with an exaggerated sigh.

If he could see her face, Jason would be sure to see the whole thing bright red. Reena's eyes were the size of dinner plates and her three fingered hands were clutching her knees tightly from the embarissment running through her.

"SH-SHUT UP!" she screamed taking a pillow from the couch and started beating him over the head with it.

Jason laughed at he feebly blocked her attacks. Both pausing when they heard the doorbell ring. "That must be him." Reena said becoming very happy and practically skipping over to the door making the nano soldier shake his head.

"Poor girl's got it bad for whoever it is." he mumbled with a smile.

A moment later she came back leading a Turian with pale plates with white markings on his mandibles and lower jaw wearing a C-Sec uniform and a detective's badge. Jason froze, cobalt eyes locking with the Turian's green ones.

"Jason, this is my friend Chellick. Chellick, this is Jason Harlow. He's the one I've been telling you about." Reena introduced.

Chellick smiled as he held out his taloned hand, "It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Reena's told me a lot."

Jason shook the hand and smiled back, "The pleasures mine, detective. So, when's the wedding?"

The Turian looked confused while Reena body stood straight. "Wedding? What wedding?" asked Chellick as Reena started to punch Jason in the shoulder again and again.

"H-He's just joking Chellick, no worries." said the Quarian smacking her Human friend one last time in the back of the head.

Despite his carefree appearance, Jason was now on high alert. C-Sec was hunting him for his attacks against Eclipse. And now one of their best detectives was standing in his apartment with enough evidence to convict him not 20 feet away.

 _'This is could be bad.'_ he thought to himself.

 **A/N: Looks like things are going to be getting a bit more hazardous if the head of Eclipse starts taking notice that all of her operations are going up in smoke one after another.**

 **I'll have another update ready within the next couple days, so stay tuned folks!**


	6. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Still on a roll here folks!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Jason & Rinna's Apartment - Lower Wards**

 **October 15, 2180 - 1320 hours**

Despite his unease, Jason found himself getting along very well with Chellick. The three of them sat around the kitchen table talking about life on the Citadel. It turned out that him and Reena had known each other for a year now, having met when another C-Sec officer was harrassing her because of her race.

Chellick put the racist officer in his place and apologized to her for his co-worker. They just hit it off from there and continued to grow closer.

Jason was grinning throughout the story, "So I ask again...when's the wedding?" he ducked when Reena threw an empty neutrient paste tube at him. Chellick shook his head at their antics. "So in all seriousness, what made you wanna come around here?" asked the nano soldier, leaning back in his seat.

"Reena's been telling me a lot about you lately. How you've been doing at the weapon shop and giving her a place to stay instead of her staying at the shelter." said the Turian. "Your a good friend to her. It's kinda rare seeing a Human treating aliens with equality, especially after what happened during the First Contact war."

The soldier shrugged, "Like I told Reena. It's a big galaxy out there, why be ignorant to the others living in it. We all breathe, sweat, love, and die. What we're made of and our culture shouldn't be a barrier, it should be a bridge to help make friends and allies."

Chellick clicked his mandibles lightly, "That's...very intellectual."

Jason smirked, "Mom and dad raised me right. One of dad's best lessons was that you should only hate those who harm others for no reason then to seem superior, and that you should be the better man and stand for those who need it."

Both aliens looked at Jason like he had a second head. "Why can't everyone in the traverse have your type of thinking?" wondered Reena.

"It certainly would lead to a lot less bloodshed." commented Chellick smirking.

They talked for a while longer before the detective got a message on his omni-tool. "I gotta go, they need me back at the office." he said standing and heading to the door with Reena seeing him out. He paused before looking back at Jason, "You know, me and a few guys from the office are going out for drinks tonight at the new bar that opened up in the Upper Wards. Your welcome to join us."

Jason thought it over. The only thing he had been doing lately was his job and cracking merc skulls. A night off to cut loose wouldn't have been too bad. "Sure. Name the time and the place."

Chellick smirked, "Bar's called Flux. Around 8 o'clock?"

Jason nodded, "See you there." The detective left after that. Reena came back and sat back down with him, "So...what do you think of him?"

"He's a good guy, I can tell." said the nano soldier. He grinned widely, "You want him don't you?"

"Jason!" Reena screamed in embarrassment.

X

Chellick entered the C-Sec Academy roughly ten minutes later to see Garrus standing by the front desk waiting for him. "What's going on?" he asked as his fellow Turian lead him into the offices.

"We found something." said Garrus picking up a datapad from his desk. "The last place that was hit by Maverick, the mercs that were there, they were protecting Marcus Kane." he said handing Chellick the datapad.

Chellick was a little shocked, "Marcus Kane? The broker who helped the Suns destory that colony on Sorren?"

Garrus nodded, "We identified his body amongst the debris. Gunshot wound through the heart, before the explosion. Maverick killed him before setting the bomb off to take out the rest of the mercs."

"Spirits. He was another one on the most wanted lists." said Chellick reading over the autopsy report. High caliber round through the heart. Instant kill. But it also showed he had several shattered bones in his arm and a hairline fracture on his skull. "Looks like Maverick fucked him up a bit before killing him."

"It was an interrogation. Kane was a glorified information broker for the highest bidder, he would have been a wealth of intel to anyone who could get him to talk. Looks like our vigilante got what he needed before taking him out." said Garrus.

Chellick looked at his friend, "Any idea what Maverick was looking for?"

Garrus shook his head, "Not yet. CSI managed to find a couple terminals still functioning. Their raiding whatever data may have survived to see if they can find anything useful."

Sighing, Chellick dropped the datapad back on the desk. "So where does that leave us now?"

"He'll make a mistake sooner or later. And then we'll have him. Until then we'll keep our eyes and ears open for what he or the mercenaries are up too." replied the other detective.

Nodding Chellick went to head off to his own desk when he remembered something. "Oh, by the way. I invited Reena's friend Jason to come out with us to Flux tonight."

Garrus raised an eye ridge, "The Human she's been telling you about all this time?"

"Yeah. He moved to the Citadel six weeks ago, thought we could show him around town since he doesn't seem to get out a whole lot according to what Reena's told me." said Chellick.

Garrus nodded as Chellick headed off. Sitting at his desk, Garrus paused a moment. "Six weeks ago?" He picked up another datapad that held the information they'd gathered on Maverick thus far. The top of the file read when each incident occured. The first attack on the Eclipse happened five weeks ago.

Thinking about it for a few minutes he tossed the datapad back on the desk shaking his head. Dozens come to live on the Citadel every week, the chances of this guy being the vigilante is a million to one...

X

"What the fuck happened! And what's this I hear about Kane being dead?" a female voice raged over the vid-call, causing a Salarian in Eclipse armor to recoil.

"It-It's that vigilante that's been running around! He's been picking apart our operations for weeks now and no matter what we throw at him he keeps taking them down!" replied the merc in terror to his boss. "I don't know how he's learning about what we've been doing, but somehow he's climbing up our power structure."

On screen, Jona Sederis gritted her teeth in barely contained fury, "I don't care what it takes. I want this fucker dead! I want whoever is helping him dead! He can't figure out what our plan is, cut off all the loose ends leading back to us. I'm sending help your way to deal with all of this...And if you fail me again Falon..."

"I...I won't. I swear it!" Falon pleaded just as the call ended.

X

The head of Eclipse clenched her fists, her body shaking as wisps of dark energy flowed around her. Whipping around, she lashed out with her biotics and ensnared one of the guards standing by her door in a stasis field.

Freezing in their place, the man's fear couldn't be seen through the visor of his helmet as the enraged Asari approached him. Her biotics flared again as she sent the helpless merc against the wall on the farthest size of the room before lifting him and savagely smashing his body against every surface within reach.

By the time she was finished, all that remained of her victim was a bloody and mangled corpse.

Jona breathed out slowly through her nose, her biotics simmering back down to a more calm level as she stalked back over to her desk and looked over the reports she'd been given. Leaving the remaining mercenaries around her nearly shaking with justified fear.

Maverick was causing too many problems, and it was time the vigilante was put down.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Flux Bar & Club - Upper Wards**

 **October 15, 2180 - 2000 hours**

The sounds of the club reverberated through the walls that Jason leaned against. Flux was said to be a very famous club despite being up and running for only a couple weeks according to the handful of reports he'd seen here and there.

Decked out in jeans, a black t-shirt, his combat boots and leather jacket. The soldier caught several odd looks from people coming and going from the bar as he waited for Chellick to arrive. Checking his omni-tool he saw that it was now ten past eight.

"Wow, punctual aren't ya?" Jason looked up and saw Chellick approaching with another Turian and a Human. He recognized the Human...but not as quickly as the other Turian.

"Jason Harlow, these are some of the guys from C-Sec. This is Rick Bailey" said Chellick introducing the Human, one Jason knew was a younger Captain/Commander Bailey. "And this," the detective said patting the Turian's shoulder, "Is my friend Garrus Vakarian."

The nano soldier put on his best smile and shook each of their hands, "Nice to meet you guys, thanks for inviting me out with ya."

"Hey, no problem. It's good to show someone new around the station." said Bailey grinning as he saw what Jason was wearing, "Old school, huh?" he asked looking at the younger man.

"Even though I've been here over six weeks already?" Jason asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey, you can't beat the classics." said the soldier putting his hands in his jacket pockets. "And besides, it's a lot more comfortable than what they're making these days."

The officer nodded and smirked, "You and I are gonna get along great, kid."

Garrus observed their guest with a calculating eye. "Chellick hasn't told us much about you, other than the fact your his friend's roommate."

Jason shrugged, "Not much to tell. I'll give you the cliffnote version when we get inside." with that the four men walked into the club, being swallowed by the lights, sounds and the people moving on the dance floor.

Finding an empty table, they ordered from the Asari waitress as they got comfortable. "So what brought you to the Citadel?" asked Bailey after a little while.

"Looking for a fresh start, in a matter of speaking." said the nano soldier as the waitress returned with their drinks. "Grew up on a colony on the edge of Terminus Space."

"The Terminus Systems are a pretty dangerous place, living that close must have been tough." said Chellick taking a sip of his Turian brandy.

Jason nodded, "Yeah. My home got attacked by some mercs several years go. Mom and dad didn't make it. Spent the rest of my time there working with the colony's militia to ensure that it never happened again."

"Sounds rough." said Bailey as the younger man took a long drink of his whisky.

"I came here hoping to do better. So far so good."

Garrus drank from his own glass, one eye closely watching the Human as he ordered another drink. Before coming here he did a quick background check on Jason Harlow. His dossier matched up with his story, but the veteran detective could sense something else just beneath the surface.

The Human held himself in a way most soldiers would after combat. Relaxed, yet stiff in the shoulders as though he were ready to draw a weapon at a moments notice. And even though he kept up a carefree and joking appearence, Garrus could hear the subtle hints in his voice that meant he was prepared.

There was a lot more to Jason than they might think.

The next two hours were spent talking about various things happening around the Citadel. Bailey talked about various cases he was going on at the moment. Chellick talked about being a detective and how he was hoping to put an end to the illegal smuggling of weapons on the station.

Garrus didn't talk much. Jason knew the Turian was watching him out of the corner of his eye, he was sharp and could see and read things a lot easier than many people would believe.

But considering this was a situation with him being a wanted vigilante with a secret identity, and Garrus was a cut throat detective that was most likely hunting for him. It wasn't a situation to be taken lightly.

"So Jason, you heard about Maverick?" asked Garrus suddenly.

All conversation at the table came to a pause. Jason raised an eyebrow, "You mean that vigilante that's been running around beating the holy hell out of the mercs on the station? Who hasn't? The guy's practically on every news network."

"Our boss wasn't too happy with all of that leaking out. He's been trying to keep it quiet so that the public doesn't see him as some kind of hero." said Chellick finishing off his second brandy.

The nano soldier took a sip out of his third whisky, "Honestly, I don't see why there's such an issue with it. The guy's running around making your jobs a little easier. Why hunt him?"

"Because vigilantism is against the law. It's our job to uphold the law, not someone who thinks they are above it." said Garrus stiffly.

"I think that the public should feel honored to have someone standing up for them." said Jason, holding his ground. "I mean think about it, the mercs haven't been making any problems for us since Maverick showed up."

Chellick shook his head, "What the people _need_ , is people in office elected to help with this kind of situation. And cops like us out on the streets doing things by the book to make sure order is kept in check. I believe that's what you Humans call a democracy."

"That's a good point, in theory." said the soldier.

"Meaning what?" asked Garrus interested, and a little vexed.

"A little fact from Human history." Jason started to explain. "When their enemies were at the gates, the Romans would suspend democracy and elect one man to defend the city. It wasn't considered a job, but a priviledge to do this." explained Jason.

Bailey sat up straighter, "Nice sentiment kid, but if I remember my ancient history right the last man to be elected like that in Rome was Julias Caesar and he never gave up his power, did he?"

Garrus and Chellick couldn't seem to make heads or tails of what the two Humans were talking about, but listened closely regardless.

Jason shrugged at the older man, "Fair enough. Then all I can say is this; you either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Whoever Maverick is, he's trying to do what he believes is right in order to keep the people of the Citadel safe regardless of what happens to him."

"You seem pretty adamant about your position on the subject." said Garrus.

The nano soldier smirked, "I do my best to keep an open mind about everything. I base most of my assumptions about someone after I've met them in person."

Chellick smirked, "And what's your opinion on us?"

"Your all good guys. Especially stiff over there." Jason said pointing his thumb at Garrus jokingly.

The Turian in question just waved him off as they changed subjects and moved onto another conversation.

Jason looked up when the Asari waitress came over with a fresh bottle of whisky and put it on the table for him, "Compliments from the lady at the bar." she said with a wink. The soldier crained his neck, as did the C-Sec officers, as he saw a light-blue skinned Asari wearing a tight black dress that complimented her curves stiring her drink slowly and watching him intently.

"Gentlemen, if you'll excuse me for a moment." Jason said, getting up and walking over to the bar.

Taking the stool next to the Asari, he smiled. "Thanks for the drink, but I assumed you wanted me to talk to you."

The Asari smiled back, "That I did, you seem like a very likeable person."

"That so? You have a name, beautiful?" he asked pouring a shot from the bottle she got for him and knocking it back.

"Lorna. Lorna Ver'one. And what would be yours handsome?" she purred back while taking a sip of her own drink.

"Jason Harlow." replied the soldier holding his hand out. The Asari shook it as her smile shone a little brighter. "So what about me caught the attention of a angel such as you?" he asked pouring on the charm a bit.

Lorna blushed a light purple at the compliment, "You just strike me as a very interesting. I've come to this bar every night since it opened. Hoping to find someone that caught my fancy." her eyes, a darker shade of blue compared to her skin, looked into his cobalt ones. "You have this aura around you that easily draws people in. I can feel it." she said resting her hand on his thigh softly.

Jason stiffened slightly. He hadn't had a relationship with anyone in a couple years. The last one was with a fellow soldier back in his world, but she was from another unit and they rarely saw each other when their units got redeployed. So they called it off and remained friends.

"I'm a bit rusty in the dating department, darlin'." he admitted with a slight smirk, a bit of the southern accent he usually kept surpressed coming into play.

Lorna just smiled back, her hand squeezing his leg gently, "I wasn't thinking about dating, handsome." Her omni-tool flared and his chimmed a moment later. "Give me a call sometime. If your interested in having a bit of fun." without warning she leaned over and placed a kiss on his cheek before getting up and leaving the club with a wide sway in her hips with each step.

Shaking his head, Jason went back to the table where the three cops were looking at him expectantly. "What?" he asked sitting down.

"You just got hit on by a rather, very interested Asari and got her number." stated Bailey bluntly.

Jason shrugged, "Chicks dig me." he said with a smirk while the others, including Garrus, all started laughing.

X

It was almost four in the morning when Jason stumbled through the front door of his apartment. Boarderline shitfaced as he tried his best to stay quiet as he made his way to his room.

Tried being the keyword.

Jason stumbled over and bumping into everything and anything in his path. Despite being granted a healing factor thanks to the Ceph nanites in his blood, the nano soldier was surprisingly still able to get drunk. Granted, he could consume a lot more than the average Human, but he wasn't immune, hense his current state after a long night out with the others.

Reena sat up from her space on the couch, now awake and watched holding back giggles as her drunk friend tried to get to his room and failing. "Jason? You need any help?" she asked doing her best not to laugh harder.

The soldier froze, leaning against the kitchen table for support as he turned to the Quarian. "Reena! Nah! I'm...I'm good! Just gotta get-" he said loudly before slipping and collapsing to the floor. After attempting to stand back up a few times, Jason just gave up and laid on the kitchen floor before light snores could be heard coming from him moments later.

Reena shook her head and laid back on the couch. Reminding herself to make sure coffee was made in the morning and ask Chellick just what they had been up to last night.

X

Falon looked at the six people he had kneeling on the floor before a large group of his men with guns aimed at them. Red Sand dealers that they had done business with in the last few weeks to aid them in their plans, now nothing more than loose ends that needed to be tied up.

"What about the others?" he asked his subordinates.

"Couldn't find them yet. Don't worry boss, they won't get away." said a Human merc with his assault rifle up.

With a nod from the Salarian Captain, gunfire echoed through the room as the Red Sand dealers were all executed. He looked to the rest of his men, "Find the rest. We can't run the risk of C-Sec or Maverick finding out anymore."

The mercs all gave responses before getting to work. Falon brought up his omni-tool and spread the word to all other factions of the Eclipse that had gone underground from the recent attacks.

Jona wanted things ready within the next two months, and they had to make sure that there weren't anymore fuck ups. Or the next body to wind up in the Citadel's ducts all over the wards would be his own.

 **A/N: Bonds are forming, and the plot is getting thicker by the day. And with Sedaris loosing it with her operations going down, you can bet things are going to lead to a hell of a confrontation.**

 **I decided to keep the Dark Knight reference because it did make a whole lot of sense and added a bit more to the story. Only Maverick sure as hell isn't Batman by any stretch.  
**

 **More chapters to come folks, be ready!**


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: Happy Labor Day folks. And if you're among the unlucky few who still gotta work today, I'm right there with ya. But before I get dragged back to the grindstone I figured I'd get the much anticipated next installment out to the public for those who have the day off to enjoy.**

 **So here you go!**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Emily Wong sat at her desk at the news station going over several datapads. There were several stories she was running at the moment, but only one really got her attention and had it for the last few months.

"Hey Emily, we're going out tonight. You coming with?" asked an Asari stopping by her desk.

"No thanks Lenea, I've got some work to do tonight at home." said Emily as she packed up several datapads into her bag and shutting down her terminal.

Lenea smirked, "Chasing down another lead on Maverick huh? Com'mon Em, the guy's a ghost for a reason. And there haven't been any attacks on mercs or other thugs for over three weeks now."

Emily sighed, "I don't know Lenea. I can't help but think that there is more here than what we think. I mean, why is he targeting the Eclipse directly? What does he know that C-Sec doesn't?" She wondered as they both walked out of the building.

"Just try not to overwork yourself too much." said the Asari. "Cut loose and have a little fun once in a while. I'll catch you later." with that she headed to the rapid transit hub while Emily headed to her apartment.

Getting inside, she started the coffee maker before going to her home office and started going through information again. She had a feeling that it was going to be another long night.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Thrax's Armaments - Lower Wards**

 **November 21, 2180 - 14:01 hours**

Jason set the welding gun aside as he finished putting the custom Carnifex hand cannon back together. His omni-tool shining brightly as Linkin Park played in the quiet back room of the weapon shop.

Everything in the last couple of weeks had been quiet. The Eclipse had been underground since he had killed Marcus Kane and all the data he had collected on troop and work locations turned out to be dead ends.

There had also been several news reports about known Red Sand dealers being found dead throughout the Citadel. People believed that it was him, but the truth was that it wasn't. The dealers that were dead were on the list of those who had helped the mercs with whatever they were planning.

The mercs were moving their operations and killing off anyone who could sell them out. They were getting smarter.

But Jason loved a challenge, and that would prove to be a huge problem for the Eclipse.

Other than his job as the station's vigilante, Jason had found a good group of friends in C-Sec. After that first get together with Chellick, Garrus and Bailey they had all decided to meet together once a week. Either at the bar, the shooting range, or at any of their apartments for a night of Skillian Five.

The nano soldier had seen Garrus loosen up more and more when they hung out together. He was sure that the Turian's suspicions in him were fading. And that was a damn good thing in his book.

He had also notice that Reena would go out every other night for the past two weeks. Even though she said she was just going for a walk, Jason knew differently.

She always came back home smelling like the same style of Turian cologne Chellick always had on, and she acted like a lovestruck schoolgirl for a while afterward. Whether she would openly admit it or not, Jason knew that Reena was going out and dating the detective.

With how things were going with him and his Quarian friend living under the same roof, the nano soldier had convinced the landlord of his apartment building to let him move into a bigger place.

It took all of two days for him and Reena to move into a comfortable two bedroom apartment on the floor above their old one. His Quarian friend had asked why he wanted to move, all he said was that she deserved her own room where she could have a little privacy.

The statement went over her head for a good 30 minutes, until she understood his implications and started slapping the shit out of him while fighting back a huge blush behind her visor.

Finally finished with his project. Jason paused the song that was playing and checked a few things on his omni-tool. He had managed to connect SECOND to the device from the nano suit. With this he could montior the AI's progress when it was searching through the data they compiled from any location. While at the same time allowing him control of various systems at a long distance.

So far neither of them had come up with anything concrete with the data they got from the now dead information broker. But Jason had managed to figure out that out of the dealers that had been eliminated, there was still two left on the list that were still alive and could offer information he didn't have.

He had SECOND monitoring various radio traffic signals to see if the last two Red Sand dealers could be tracked down. It was only a matter of time before one of them exposed themselves, and hopefully Jason would get to them before the Eclipse did.

"Done for the day?" asked Reena coming in from her lunch break.

Jason shut down his omni-tool and leaned back in his chair, "Yeah, probably gonna head home early for the day. God knows Thrax owes me an early day off." he said standing up from his workstation and heading for the door.

"Hot date?" asked the Quarian crossing her arms over her chest. Jason shook his head. When he and the other guys went to Flux and the Asari, Lorna, had flirted with him. He had SECOND to a thorough background check on her and discovered that she was an unregistered Adat-Yakshi. An anonymous message to the Asari embassy was sent and the woman was picked up to ensure she didn't harm anyone.

"Nah, thought I'd spend the day walking around the wards. There's a lot on my mind lately." he said grabbing his jacket.

"Don't stay out too late." she called from her spot.

"Do I give you a hard time when your out all hours of the night?" he called back heading out the front door of the shop, missing the curses in Khelish that were fired in his direction. "The day they admit that their dating is coming. And I'm gonna be on their case everyday until they do." Jason muttered to himself with a chuckle as he headed back to the apartment.

The place was easily twice as big as his old place. The kitchen and living room were much bigger and were seperated by a dining room. There was a hallway with both bedrooms, one with a private bathroom and the other across the hall from a larger bathroom. It was almost double the cost per month, but definately worth it.

And besides, with all of the money he collected from the dead mercs and what he earned from the weapons shop he'd be living comfortably for quite a while.

Entering the apartment, Jason headed straight for his room. Sitting at his desk and booting up his terminal and putting in the passwords to get past the strong encryptions he put in place that no one could even hope to get through.

"SECOND, anything new?" he asked standing up and heading to the large closet in the bedroom. Walking past the racks of clothes, both from the 21st and the current century.

 **"Scans have not picked up any trace on the targets. Scans still in progress."** replied the AI as Jason pressed a hidden button in the back of the closet. The wall slid open revealing his nano suit with racks containing his weapons, ammo, grenades and arrows on either side of it.

The little feature had cost him a couple thousand credits. But it was worth it to make sure that his suit and SECOND wasn't discovered by wandering eyes. He trusted Reena with his life, the same could be said to Chellick. But he couldn't risk putting them in danger if anyone knew they were associated with 'Maverick'.

 **"Transmission Intercepted...Scans have identified Subject Number 2."** SECOND suddenly chimmed, Jason left the closet and went back to the terminal where a dossier was displayed on the screen;

The image of a Salarian with orange skin and black markings appeared. Skelart Nourvox. Arrested three times on Red Sand possession with intent to sell. A well known snitch, but managed to keep himself from being killed even with the people he had double crossed.

"Eclipse must have promised him safety if he helped them." Jason muttered. "SECOND, show me the transmission you picked up."

 **"Connecting..."**

 _"They're all dead! Those bastards promised to pay us and keep us safe from all of this and they're the ones blowing our fucking brains out!"_ squeaked the voice that must have belonged to Skelart. _"I need to get out of here. I have a brother on Omega that'll help us out of this. Meet me at shipping dock 32 tonight at midnight...you better fucking be there."_

When the transmission ended Jason looked grim, "SECOND, was this done on a private or public channel?"

 **"The transmission was sent and received on a public channel through the use of a public vid-call."**

"Dumb motherfucker." Jason cursed, "The mercs would have to have been blind, deaf and stupid to not have picked that up too. We need to get to him before they do." he said heading back into his closet to grab his suit and weapons.

X

At the same time, an Eclipse engineer lowered his headset and looked at Falon. "Got Skelart. Shipping docks, Dock 32 tonight at midnight."

The Salarian nodded before looking at the squad of ten he had assembled. "Make sure that little rat dosen't leave the station alive." he said darkly.

"Yes sir." said the squad leader as they all headed out to lay a trap for the dealer.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Docking Yards - Warehouse District**

 **November 21, 2180 - 23:52 hours**

Things were too quiet. Though considering the situation it was a good thing.

Jason stood in the shadows between two warehouses, keeping his eyes out for anything that so much as twitched. No one had been in this end of the docking yards in over two hours. Which was good since things could turn out very badly if/when the mercs showed up to get to the dealer.

After waiting another three minutes the soldier caught sight of something moving. Zooming in his visor, he saw a lone Salarian slowly creep out from between two buildings on the opposite end of the docking area.

 **"Identity Confirmed. Subject: Skelart Nourvox Found."** SECOND reported, highlighting the Red Sand dealer on the HUD.

Jason activated his cloak and proceeded to walk out into the open. Slowly making his way closer toward the skittish Salarian so that he wasn't noticed.

The flood lights all around the docking area suddenly switched on temporarily blinding Jason as he crouched down behind a crate while still cloaked. When his visor polarized so that he could see, the soldier saw eight Eclipse mercs surrounding Skelart with weapons drawn. "We found you, you little bastard." growled a Human in full armor.

"I-I didn't sa-say anything to anybody!" the Salarian cried as another one of the Human mercs slammed the butt of his rifle into his back knocking him to the ground.

"And it's going to stay that way Skelart." said the leader of the squad, drawing his pistol and pointing it at the smaller creature's head.

Jason was moving when the gun was drawn, his enhanced speed allowing him to reach the group in a few seconds. Grabbing the two Human mercs that were closest and smashing their heads together. Their helmets, and skulls, crumpling like tin cans before they collapsed onto the ground dead.

The rest of the group turned. The squad leader went to aim his pistol but received a boot to the chest that sent him crashing into a Salarian merc and sending both crashing into a crate ten feet away. All four still standing mercs quickly opened fire on the vigilante.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason grabbed Skelart and ran off avoiding the hail of gunfire as he entered the space where the Salarian originally came from.

"O-Oh shit! Fi-First the Eclipse now you...wh-what the hell do you want?" Skelart asked terrified of the large Human standing over him.

Jason lifted him up by the front of his shirt and pressed him to the wall. "I wanna know what the mercs got from you. What is so important that they're killing off you and your fellow dealers?" he asked in his filtered voice as the mercs peppered the area around them with rounds.

"L-Look, I...I don't know." Skelart whimpered as the gunfire drew closer.

The soldier slammed Skelart into the wall hard making him yelp. "Bullshit! I know you assholes told them something. I killed Marcus Kane, he said you told them about backways throughout the Citadel. What did he mean?" Jason demanded, slowly turning so that he was shielding the Salarian from a few stray rounds. Keeping a close eye on his energy meter as it dropped by a little.

"Okay! Okay! A-All they wanted to know about were the s-service passages around the Upper Wards. Us d-dealers know all about them so we c-can avoid the cops better when they come af-after us." Skelart stuttered.

"Is there more?" Jason asked wanting to get everything he could out of the drug dealing loser.

"N-No..." he whimpered, but the nano soldier knew he was lying.

"Tell me or I'll throw you out there!" he roared pointing with his thumb over his shoulder out where the Eclipse were still shooting at their position

Skelart's eyes widened, "T-They were very interested in the Presidium and the Embassies!" he shouted in fear.

"What about them Skelart, and you better be straight with me." Jason growled.

"W-We sell to the rich classes more often than you think. They wa-wanted the service network for the Upper Wards. But they r-really wanted everything we had on the tunnels running through the Presidium." the Salarian confessed.

Jason dropped him to the ground. The Eclipse wanted data on the Citadel's service tunnel network? Mostly around the Presidium and Embassies? Not good.

"Get lost Skelart. I see you again you won't be so lucky." Jason said taking out his assault rifle and making his way to the entrance to the opening leading out to the docks where the mercs had stopped firing.

Reaching the end, he saw the four remaining mercs with their guns drawn. The squad leader standing in the middle, his chest armor badly dented from Jason's heavy foot but lucky to survive the kick that caused it.

"Give it up Maverick!" The Human shouted.

Jason shook his head. Maybe he was wrong about the mercs getting smarter. His eye caught sight of a red barrel behind the two mercs on the right. He quickly aimed and fired causing the barrel to explode, sending both mercs flying in different directions.

The explosion stunned the rest of the group giving the nano soldier an opening. Sprinting forward and taking another merc off his feet, his large hand grasping the man's throat, before choke slamming him into the ground with spine shattering force.

Whiping out his Hammer, Jason shot the merc standing next to him. The large slugs tearing through the Salarian's kinetic barrier and punching two holes in his chest and one in his head.

The squad leader watched his men got decimated and pulled out his omni-tool. "We need backup now!" Jason looked in his direction when he started chuckling. "Let's see you handle this!"

The nano soldier heard the low hum of engines powering up. Looking toward the sky, he took back the thought that he believed the mercs weren't smartening up.

X

Another long day of investigating, Emily walked out of the news building with a big yawn. Dead tired from lack of sleep from the night before.

Her boss had noticed that she looked more run down than usual and told her to take a manditory vacation. Four paid days off and she was told to try and get some sleep.

The journalist's exhausted haze was broken by the sound of gunfire and explosions coming from the docking area not too far away. Curious she ran to where the commotion was coming from.

X

Jason rolled out of the way as heavy rounds tore up the ground where he had been standing.

The gunship the hovered overhead as the two Eclipse mercs inside locked onto his location and fired two rockets from under the vessel's wings. Seeing this, Jason took off in a dead run as the missiles struck the area behind him, forcing him to roll into cover as the ship's gatling gun opened fire again.

At the same time, two YIMR mechs, both of which had been dropped into the docks via the gunship, stomped toward him with their own weapons tearing into the crate he was hunkered down behind.

He needed a plan, and a damn good one. The nano suit could only take so much punishment from something like this.

 **"Tactical Options Avaliable."**

Jason smirked seeing the options. "Thank you SECOND." he said as he readied himself. **"Maximum Power."** standing up, he drop kicked the crate he'd been crouching behind sending it crashing into the closest YIMR mech, staggering it back a couple of steps and giving him the opening he needed.

Drawing his bow, he knocked one of his explosive arrows and let it fly. The large mech's already weakened barriers fell as the bolt flew through it and struck it directly in it's cylinder-shaped head. When the arrow detonated, it took the YIMR's head with it, the mech collapsing to its knees moments before it's chest started to flash red and beep loudly.

The core within going into critical overload before the whole platform exploded with the force of several bricks of C4. Severly damaging the second mech and crippling it as it collapsed on its side sending out sparks from its joints.

Any sense of victory was short lived as the nano soldier was forced to roll out of the way as heavy slugs tore into the ground around him. The gunship banked and came around for another pass, but Jason was ready for it as he knocked another arrow. **"Cloak Engaged."**

He disappeared from sight, confusing the two pilots as they searched through every conceivable means.

"Where the fuck did he-" the co-pilot was cut off when an arrow pierced through the reinforced glass, the tungsten head of the bolt going into the center of his forehead and killing him instantly.

Before the pilot could register what had happened, a second arrow flew up and struck the wing of the gunship and exploded. Setting off the rocket pods and causing a chain reaction that sent the vessel spinning out of control, crashing into an empty warehouse causing the whole docking area to light up from the blast that quickly followed.

X

Emily was in a state of shock and awe.

It was him! Maverick stood tall in the center of the docking yard and took down not only two YIMR mechs, but also a gunship with a bow and arrow!

The journalist couldn't believe her luck. She had to talk to him before he disappeared again. But before she could make a move to approach, the reporter felt the barrel of a gun press to the back of her head.

"Wrong place, bitch." someone growled behind her.

X

Jason looked at the burning wreckage for a few moments before turning with the intention of getting lost before C-Sec arrived.

"Leaving so soon asshole?"

Turning, he felt his blood boil seeing the Eclipse squad leader still alive holding a pistol to the head of a young woman. "Drop your weapons. Or this bitch get's her brains splattered." the man growled, pressing the barrel harder against her temple.

The fear in the woman's eyes made him pause and think quickly. He couldn't risk a civilian getting hurt, no matter the circumstance. But that didn't mean he was going to allow this asshole get away with putting her in that position.

The nano soldier tossed his bow to the ground first, followed quickly by his other weapons. Before reaching for his pistol...

Everything flowed in slow motion. Jason grabbed the Hammer and snapped the angle up firing from the hip and sending the round blowing the merc's right ear off.

The man bellowed in pain as his head snapped to the side, releasing his hostage and dropping his gun to grab his now bleeding wound.

Jason charged forward, grabbing the merc by his armor and flipping him over and slamming him to the ground. His pistol pointed at his face that was gushing and forming a puddle behind him.

"Holding an innocent woman hostage, that's grounds for no mercy." the nano soldier said darkly, cocking the hammer back on his gun. The merc went to scream something before Jason pulled the trigger and put him down completely.

Moving from the dead merc, Jason helped the shaken woman to her feet. "Are you alright ma'am?" he asked keeping his voice filtered. The woman looked up at him in awe and he immediately recognized her as Emily Wong from Citadel News Network.

"I...I'm fine...thanks for that." she said, still shaking a bit while rubbing her arms. She looked up at him, "You're him...you're Maverick."

Jason nodded, "I am. What are you doing here?" he asked suspiciously.

"I just got off of work when I heard the commotion over here." said Emily. "And I saw you take down those mercs...I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now."

The soldier had a feeling where this was going, "I don't do interviews. The least people know, the better. I will not risk the lives of others." he said with conviction.

The journalist smiled up at him, "It's my job to report the news, Maverick. The people on the Citadel deserve to know the truth about you. Many see you as a hero, but others see you as a monster. Something to frighten kids into being good."

Jason looked over at the burning building where the gunship had crashed. "I'm not a monster...but I'm no hero either."

Emily tilted her head in confusion before looking around as sirens echoed out in the distance. "C-Secs coming you better-" she turned back and saw that he was gone.

X

Jason entered the apartment still cloaked. Checking Reena's room and saw that it was empty, meaning that she must have been out as he headed to his room and started removing the nano suit.

With the information Skelart had given him he now had a new lead to follow. He needed to find out what the mercs were doing in the service tunnels around the Upper Wards leading to the Embassies and Presidium. Maybe then he could find out what their objective is.

Entering his room, he sat the nano suit's helmet on the desk when the light suddenly clicked on.

"You have a lot of explaining to do, you bosht'et." Jason turned and saw Reena sitting on his bed with her arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

He'd been caught.

 **A/N: And the first real cliffhanger returns.**

 **One of the readers that are reviewing this told me flat out that this so far seems like a cut and paste job. I won't lie to any of you, it kind of is for the time being save for the small changes I've been making. The reason for that being I'm trying to keep the original plot of this story going as a way to show DemonFireX's work is still very much alive, just in the hands of one who was taught under him.**

 **The real changes won't happen until we get to the point where Jason meets Shepard, so I'm sorry if this is coming off more like a rip off of the original. That's not my intention. I owe DFX a lot, most of my work wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him. So this is my way of honoring his work since he's no longer on the site with us anymore.**

 **Anyway, I got three more updates in reserve ready to go. When you want them, let me know. Until then, review and show your love!**


	8. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Two in one day...not surprising considering the level of fans that this fic has gained. And I'd be damned to let you all down.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maveick' Harlow**

 **Jason and Reena's Apartment - Lower Wards**

 **November 22, 2180 - 01:32 hours**

Jason sat at the kitchen table in jeans and a t-shirt, having stored his nano suit and weapons back in their compartment in his closet a few minutes ago. Though given the current situation there wasn't really a point anymore.

Reena sat across from him, eyes locked on his own, unblinking as she waited for an explanation...explanation, how the fuck was he going to explain this to her? His closest friend and he'd kept something like this from her since the day they met.

He wouldn't take any of this well if he was in her position.

"What do you want from me Reena?" he asked with a sigh.

The Quarian's eyes narrowed to slits, "I want to know WHY Jason!" she demanded. "I want to know why my _friend_ is out running around in a suit of armor and weapons waging war against the Eclipse and has half of Citadel Security hunting for him!"

She slammed her hands on the table and stood up, Jason didn't flinch deciding to let her get it all out. "I want to know...why you kept this from me. From Chellick. From everyone close to you."

Jason rubbed his eyes, "That's exactly why I kept it from you all." he looked her in the eye. "If people found out that 'Maverick' has friends and allies what do you think they would do? They'd come after you in force just to get at me."

He stood up and walked into the living room facing the large window overlooking the ward outside. "And as for Chellick? He's C-Sec. I wouldn't put him on the spot like that, forcing him to choose between his job and his friend."

Reena walked up behind him, "Why are you doing this anyway?" she asked quietly.

"The thugs that attacked you not long after I joined at the shop. They were highered by Eclipse to convince Thrax to sell out to them. I tracked them down and took out one of their operations, only to find out that there is something a lot more going on." explained the nano soldier.

"What's going on?" asked his friend. Jason looked over his shoulder at her, "Not sure yet. But they're planning something with the service tunnels around the Upper Wards leading to the Embassies and the Presidium. And their gathering a lot of equipment and man power to make it all happen."

"They used the Red Sand dealers to get the intel on the tunnels. That's why we've been hearing about all the dealers dropping off lately, the mercs are cleaning house so no one gets wise about what their up too. Thankfully I managed to get ahold of one of the remaining dealers they didn't kill and get the information." said the soldier looking back out the window.

"We should tell this to Chellick. Maybe C-Sec could do something." said Reena.

"And tell them what Reena? They'd backtrack all the information and discover who I am, and by association, you." said Jason sternly. "At every operation site I purposly left pockets of information around to give C-Sec a heads up of what's happening. Though I think their more focused on me being 'above the law' instead of the real threat."

The apartment was quiet for a little while. Reena walked up next to him, "Is there anything else your hiding from everyone?"

Jason shook his head no, even though it was yet another lie. But trying to explain to someone who just barely uncovered one big secret about you another, even bigger, secret would not have ended well. It was better to cut it off there.

Reena nodded, "So...I'm a friend and roommate to the most wanted vigilante on the Citadel. Lucky me." she said with a light chuckle.

The nano soldier smiled, "I'm sorry I kept this from you Reena, but I'm just putting your safety and the safety of others first. Your the only ones I can trust in the galaxy, I don't want to lose any of you." he said honestly.

"You won't lose us." said the Quarian, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But you also need to trust us. We can help you too, you shouldn't have to be alone through all of this."

Jason nodded and felt happy that his friend would still stand by him. "Reena...about Chellick-"

"I won't tell him." said Reena, even though he could hear the hesitance in her voice.

The soldier smirked, "So, have you finally admitted that you two are an item?" he joked changing the subject,

The Quarian crossed her arms and tilted her head, "Yes, Jason, Chellick is my boyfriend."

"Well that's too bad...wait, WHAT?" Jason said in shock at the admission.

Reena giggled, "You win Jason, me and Chellick have been dating the last few weeks. We just thought we'd keep it to ourselves for the time being before telling everyone."

Jason smiled and hugged his friend, "I'm happy for you guys. He's perfect for you."

His friend hugged him back, "Thank you Jason. He really makes me happy." she said with a smile in her voice.

The soldier stepped back and shook his head, "And you get on me about keeping secrets."

Reena narrowed her eyes, "I think whether or not me and Chellick are dating and you being a wanted vigilante are two completely different things."

"Fair enough." said Jason yawning and heading to his room. "Now, I'm tired after the little fiasco tonight so I'm going to sleep."

"What fiasco?" asked the Quarian, now concerned.

"Don't worry Reena, you'll probably hear it on the news later this morning." the nano soldier replied while entering his room.

"Wait! Jason!" Reena called after him.

"Night Reena." he said closing his bedroom door. The Quarian shook he head, what had she gotten herself into?

X

Garrus rubbed his eyes before looking back at all of the destruction around him.

Twelve dead mercs, two destroyed YIMRs, a downed gunship, over 700,000 creds in property damage, and a hostage victim that was asking way too many questions.

It was way too early for this shit.

"What do we got?" asked Chellick with a yawn joining his partner.

"Twelve DOA, all Eclipse. One victim, Emily Wong, taken hostage by the leader of the group but was rescued."

Chellick looked at his friend, "And by rescued, you mean by Maverick."

Garrus nodded, "Yeah, and being the investgative journalist that she is she's been asking a ton of questions. But from what we could gather she spoke to him."

The other Turian looked at him shocked, "She actually _spoke_ to Maverick?"

"After he killed the merc holding her hostage, he checked on her to make sure she was alright before disappearing like he usually does." Garrus sighed, "Pallin's gonna be pissed. Wong's known for finding the truth and making sure the public knows about it. And everyone knows you can't keep the press quiet about anything."

A little ways away, Emily Wong was being looked over by an EMT to make sure that she didn't have any injuries. "For the last time I'm fine." she said, sick of the medic checking her over.

"Sorry ma'am. Procedure when it comes to hostage victims." said the EMT.

When the medic finally finished up and was a safe distance away, Emily brought up her omni-tool and went into the recording feature she had on it. It was a really good thing she turned it on at the right moment.

 _"Are you alright ma'am?"_ Maverick's voice floated from the device.

 _"I...I'm fine...thanks for that."_ She said with a slight quiver in her voice. _"Your him...your Maverick."_

 _"I am. What are you doing here?"_ He asked, the suspiscion clear in his filtered voice.

 _"I just got off of work when I heard the commotion over here."_ Emily said. _"And I saw you take down those mercs...I've been wanting to talk to you for some time now."_

 _"I don't do interviews. The least people know, the better. I will not risk the lives of others."_ he said with conviction in his tone. _"It's my job to report the news, Maverick. The people on the Citadel deserve to know the truth about you. Many see you as a hero, but others see you as a monster."_ Emily explained.

 _"I'm not a monster...but I'm no hero either."_ he said which caused the journalist to wonder what he meant like she did the first time he said it.

Sirens echoed out in the background. _"C-Secs coming you better-"_ the recording ended after that.

Saving the recording, Emily shut down her omni-tool as two C-Sec detectives approached her. "Ms. Wong. Detective Vakarian, what can you tell me about what happened?" asked Garrus.

"I just got out of work when I heard the gunfire over here on the docks. I came to check it out, that's when I saw Maverick taking down the mercs, but one of them caught me and held a gun to my head." Emily let out a breath, "He saved my life, detective. I wouldn't be here if he hadn't killed that merc."

The Turian marked it all down on his omni-tool. "You also said to the first officer on the scene that you spoke with Maverick. Can you tell me what he said?"

Being the journalist that she was, Emily knew when someone was digging for answers. So she knew that the detective was looking for any and all evidence to use against the vigilante. "He just checked to make sure I was safe before leaving. Only a few words." she said with a straight face.

Garrus took down her statement, "Ma'am, I'm hoping you realize we need to keep this incident as quiet as possible."

Emily glared at him, "And why is that? From what I've seen, C-Sec has painted a very ugly image on a man who risked is life to save my own. You all made him out to be the villain when all he's done is make the streets safer from the Eclipse, who I might add were operating right under your noses this whole time."

She pointed her finger at him, "Understand this, detective. After what happened here tonight the public _is_ going to know that Maverick is not to be feared. And I'll be damned if I let anyone speak ill of him again."

Without another word she spun on her heel and left leaving Garrus to rub his temples from the headache that was forming.

The Executor was definitely going to be pissed.

X

The weapons shop was closed the next day giving Jason and Reena the day off. They spent a good portion of the morning talking about Jason's 'other' activities and what he had done up to this point.

She'd had a bit of a freak out moment meeting SECOND. But he explained that the program was just a VI that helped him in the field. Though he wasn't surprised, given what happened with the Quarians and the.

When everything was finally laid out in the open, the two friends now found themselves sitting on the couch watching the news. And just like the nano soldier had predicted, the incident that happened late last night was first on the agenda.

 _"A fierce gun battle had taken place in the docks close to the Upper Wards late last night. According to Citadel Security, Eclipse mercenaries armed with YIMR mechs and a gunship attempted to attack the vigilante known as Maverick, only for said vigilante to bring down the mercs with only moderate damage to the surrounding warehouses."_ said the anchor.

 _"We have also received word that one of our own, Emily Wong, was there to witness the event first hand."_ Jason sat up straighter as the camera paned revealing the investigative journalist sitting at the desk.

 _"Thanks for having me. And yes I was there, but I went from being a witness to being a hostage very quickly."_ said Emily.

The anchor looked shocked, _"You were a hostage? What happened?"_

 _"I had just left the building last night when I heard the firefight occuring at the docks. Going to investigate, I saw Maverick in the flesh taking down Eclipse mercs trying to kill him with a gunship. He took it down with_ two shots _."_ explained Emily.

Reena looked at Jason from her spot on the couch before looking at the screen again. _"What caused you to become a hostage?"_ asked the anchor.

 _"After Maverick took down the gunship, the leader of the mercs grabbed me from behind. Using me as a shield and ordered him to drop his weapons."_ said the journalist.

 _"And then what?"_ asked the anchor now with rapt attention.

Emily took a moment, _"It happened so fast...he dropped almost all his weapons at first. The next thing I know there's a gunshot and the merc holding me fell to the ground bleeding."_ she smiled, _"He saved my life. Then he checked on me before vanishing as C-Sec came to investigate."_

The nano soldier was rubbing his face. This could go one of two ways. Either really good or _really_ bad.

 _"You spoke to Maverick?"_ asked the anchor in shock.

Emily nodded, _"Yes. He spoke only a few words. But it was enough for me to know that he doesn't want people to get hurt. He's selfless, yet doesn't see himself as a hero. But wherever he is,"_ she looked at the camera, _"I just want to tell him, thank you."_

"This could come back to bite me in the ass." Jason muttered getting up and heading to the kitchen.

Reena followed him, "Well, after everything you've told me in was only a matter of time for someone to make it public. Guess that's the price you pay for doing what's right."

Jason sighed, "I know. The only thing I can do is hope that things won't get any worse."

X

 **Council Chambers - Citadel Tower**

 **November 22, 2180 - 13:00 hours**

Executor Pallin looked at the three of the most influential people on the Citadel and all of council space. Keeping his face as passive as possible despite his growing anxiety at being in the councilors' presence and knowing full well what the meeting was about.

"Executor Pallin, you've been called here today to explain the situation that has presented itself." said the Asari Councilor, Tevos, as she brought up a screen showing video footage of Maverick's fight at the docks the previous night.

"This vigilante has eluded C-Sec for months now. What is the status of his capture?" asked Valern, the Salarian Councilor.

Pallin cleared his throat, "It's a difficult situation. His technology is nothing like any of us have seen before. His cloaking ability has proven to be untraceable, and his skills rival that of well trained commando units. He's killed more mercs in the last few months than ever recorded in the Citadel's history."

Sparatus, the Turian Councilor, growled, "Having an individual such as him running around our station with power like this cannot go unchecked. He could pose a threat to anyone and we cannot allow that to happen."

"We're doing all we can, but there is only so much manpower we can put into trying to locate him and handle our other cases." said Pallin.

"Speaking of which, has C-Sec discovered what the Eclipse are doing on the Citadel?" asked Valern. "Even though our feelings on the vigilante are known, he has been able to shut down several of their operations right under C-Sec's jurisdiction."

Pallin straightened his shoulders, "Our labs are working on data collected from each site. But we still haven't figured out their main goal for being here."

The councilors all looked at one another, "Thank you for your time Executor. Continue with your search into the mercernaries plans and keep us updated regularly." said Valern.

"What about Maverick?" asked Pallin.

"It would seem that C-Sec has it's hands full at the moment. Therefore, we are assigning someone to handle the vigilante personally." said Tevos pressing a few buttons on the terminal before her.

Pallin looked to the side as an Asari in full armor baring the sign of the Spectres on her shoulder guard stepped out into the light. "You called for me councilors?" she asked smoothly.

"Spectre Tela Vasir, your being assigned to track down the vigilante known as Maverick and have him brought before this council. You are to use whatever means to apprehend him." said Tevos.

Vasir smirked, "Yes ma'am."

"Is a Spectre really needed for this type of job?" asked Pallin. "What of the Alliance? This is obviously a Human we're dealing with, shouldn't this fall into their hands?"

"Ambassador Udina has checked with the Alliance and informed us that they have no knowledge of this kind of technology or anyone fitting Maverick's description." said Sparatus. "We can assume that this individual is a rogue and working alone."

"This situation cannot escalate farther." said Valern. "The public are in an uproar about this man with all of the news reports that are in circulation. We need to find him quickly, Spectre Vasir is more than capable for the task and has a reputation for finding what she's looking for."

Vasir bowed slightly, "Thank you, councilor. And rest assured, I will find this man."

"If there is nothing else, than this meeting of the council is adjourned." said Tevos as the councilors began to leave. Pallin ran a hand over his fringe before heading back to C-Sec.

After leaving the chambers herself and finding a quiet place, Vasir brought up her omni-tool and made a call.

 _"Yes?"_ asked someone on the other end of the call.

"I need anything and everything the Shadow Broker's got on someone." the Asari Spectre asked with a wicked grin.

X

 **Cerberus Headquarters - Cronos Station**

 **Anadius Cluster - Horsehead Nebula**

 **November 22, 2180 - 13:50 hours**

The Illusive Man sat in his usual seat, cigarette in hand as he observed the many view screens before him infront of the large window that over looked the star that centered the Anadius Cluster.

Flicking his cigarette into the ashtray, he froze the image playing before him to get a better look at the black and silver armored being that had been terrorising the Eclipse on the Citadel for the last few months.

Cerberus had been tracking this man's movements since his first attack against the mercs. His unique suit was something that could benefit the organization by leaps and bounds. And the man behind the suit was also one of a kind with his abilities in a firefight.

Tapping a button on the armrest of his chair, he opened a communication line. "Get me Ms. Lawson. I have a mission for her." he said as he looked at the frozen image of Maverick.

X

 _ **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**_

 _ **Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive - East River, NY**_

 _ **August 23, 2023 - 10:22 hours**_

 _Jason walked through the tunnels underneith the streets, SCAR rifle in hand as he searched for any hostiles when Gould came on the comm line._ 'Listen, CELL have set up checkpoints all along the FDR freeway. I just tapped into their comms and it sounds like Lockhart's down here overseeing the operation himself.'

 _The soldier rolled his eyes but kept quiet as Gould continued._ 'He's gotta be close. Prophet, keep a low profile.' _Jason climbed up onto a ledge and pulling himself out of a large hole in the ceiling leading him into a rundown building._

 _"The order is to take him alive." said Tara over the tapped communications._

 _"The order is to bring him down. I'll argue the civil rights detail when we've done that." replied Lockhart._

 _Jason pressed his back to a boarded up window and peered around to look at the small courtyard beyond. A CELL attack helicopter was parked right outside with two guards standing outside with Tara and Lockhart arguing behind them._

 _"Alive is more useful." argued Tara._

 _"Yeah? Useful to who? The guy just got through massacring a couple dozen of my men, Ms. Strickland. I'm taking no more chances." said Lockhart with finality. "Prophet dies. Hargreave can have his corpse to play with."_

 _"Hargreave wants-"_

 _"Hargreave wants the suit. That's what he'll get." said Lockhart cutting the woman off._

 _Tara shook her head, "He isn't going to like this. And last time I checked, we both worked for him."_

 _"That's where you're wrong, Ms. Strickland." said Lockhart getting into her face. "You work for him. I answer to the CELL executive board and the DoD. I don't give a shit what some senile old shareholder like Hargreave may or may not like."_

 _"That's a majority shareholder." Tara said back. "And former President of the CryNet board. You want to be careful what enemies you make here, Lockhart."_

 _Both climbed into the copter as the engines powered up. "This conversation is over." said Lockhart as the arial unit rose into the air and flew off into the city._

 _Jason observed the area, two guards milling around below where the copter was. Another was standing in an overwatch position on the train tracks above them. Two hummers drove through and stopped fifty feet away allowing six other CELL soldiers to pile out._

 **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** _said SECOND as Jason leapt out of the window, grabbing both soldiers' heads and smashing them into the ground._

 _He spun around and shot the lone soldier up high causing his body to fall to the ground._ **"Cloak Engaged."** _Jason ran to the nearest wall and took cover as the six soldiers from the humvees ran into the courtyard. "What the fuck happened?" asked one of them Jason jumped into the air. Leaping over their heads and dropping two grenades in their midst._

 _The following explosions ripped the CELL personel apart as Jason deactivated his cloak and making his way to the still running hummers. "I could use a little road rage right about now." he mumbled to himself getting behind the wheel._

X

Jason awoke with a start. His memories of what occurred before coming to this universe were becoming more frequent in his dreams. It was getting harder and harder to understand exactly why it was happening though.

Stretching a bit before heading to the shower, Jason recalled what happened yesterday. After seeing the news report about him, he decided to lay as low as possible when he went out again to avoid more people finding out about him.

He, Reena and SECOND had spent a good amount of time going over blueprints of the service tunnels throughout all of the wards. If he wanted to figure out what the Eclipse were up too he'd have to go into the tunnels around where they're targeting to see if something was out of the ordinary.

Figuring that he'd check it all out when he got out of work tonight, the soldier prepared himself for his day at the shop.

Completely unaware of the events that were unfolding around him.

 **A/N: Seems like everyone wants a piece of Jason now. Keep your eyes out for new updates, cause this train ain't stopping!**


	9. Chapter 8

**_A/N: With roughly 100 reviews, 9,000+ views and an ever climbing list of favs and follows, I'll say that this story just may become one of the most sought after on my page. And this is still only the beginning._**

 ** _Even though a lot of readers out there are sitting on the backburner about this series until they see newer content, I'm still glad that those readers are willing to stick around until then. And as I promised a couple of them via PMs, I will deliver when the time comes. Until then, I'll do my best to breeze through the chapters leading to it._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing._**

Reena sighed as she finished up her shift at Thrax's shop and sat at her usual workspace in throught.

Ever since Jason told her everything about what he does as 'Maverick' she couldn't help but worry about her Human friend.

Jason was strong, and had a will that seemed unbreakable. But somewhere deep within the Quarian's heart she couldn't help but wonder if he had bitten off more than he could chew. Even though he had well honed skills, a powerful suit and an arsenal, she couldn't help but think something bad was going to happen.

"Knock, knock." Reena jumped as she turned around only to see Chellick grinning at her from the doorway leading into the workshop.

"Oh, Chellick! I wasn't expecting you so soon." she said getting up and hugging the Turian.

"Got off early today, so I thought I'd come and see if you wanted to go out when you finished up." said Chellick.

The Quarian smiled, "Sure. Just let me finish cleaning up." she said going back to her station to put things away.

The detective looked around the room for a few moments. "Hey, where's Jason? Shouldn't he still be here too?" he asked not seeing his friend around.

Reena's back straightened slightly, "He wasn't feeling to well, so he decided to head home early." she said walking over to him.

Chellick raised an eyeridge, "Sick? I don't think I've ever seen him sick since I've met him."

"I know, it shocked me too. But he said that he was fine and was heading home to rest." replied the Quarian as the left the shop arm in arm.

"Maybe we can pick something up for him, kind of a get well thing." said the detective as they walked down the busy streets. Reena nodded but decided not to say anything. Chellick was getting really good at reading her body language and she didn't want him to figure anything out.

It was then she realized something, "Chellick, how did you get the rest of the day off? I thought you were helping C-Sec track down Maverick?" she asked curious.

Chellick scoffed, "Damn council harped on the Executor for not finding him sooner. So they decided to send someone after him so C-Sec could handle the other cases we got going on right now."

Fear and dread cluched at Reena's stomach. "Who...did they send after him?" she asked trying to keep the tremor out of her voice.

The detective chuckled, "An Asari Spectre, Tela Vasir. Shocked the hell out of all of us that they'd send one of their best after him. Then again, if you want something done right, send in the big guns."

If one could see past her visor, they would see Reena's complexion turn ashen pale.

"Reena? You okay?" asked Chellick concerned for his Quarian girlfriend when she seemed to freeze up all of a sudden.

"I...I'm fine. I just remembered that I have to make a note of something for work." she said bringing up her omni-tool.

Chellick chuckled, "Your a real workaholic you know that?"

Closing her omni-tool Reena did her best to giggle back, "Well, you know me." she said wrapping her arm around his waist as they continued their walk. Hoping to keelah that Jason got her message.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Citadel Service Tunnels - Upper Wards**

 **November 24, 2180 - 15:01 hours**

A Keeper slowly skittered it's way down the long narrow tunnel that connected to the massive service network that honeycombed throughout the entire station. The four-legged insectioid alien stopped at a terminal that was designed for it and began typing at the holographic display silently.

Above, hidden by a cluster of pipes was Jason in the nano suit. His sharp eyes watching the bug-like creature continue about it's work before it began moving back down the tunnel again along it's pre-designated path.

With the coast clear he dropped silently to the floor before moving over to the terminal the Keeper was just at. "SECOND. Hack in and see if you can find any abnormalities in the tunnel system." he said bringing up his omni-tool.

 **"Data Mine Commencing..."** The soldier waited patiently while keeping an eye on his motion tracker for any movement. Everything had been quiet up to this point, the only thing he really had to do was dodge around the Keepers as they went about their rounds.

 **"Data Mine Complete."** Jason's omni-tool displayed the map of the section of tunnel system he was currently in, but this time several locations lit up red signifying heat signatures.

The small red ones moving freely throughout the tunnels were obviously Keepers. But there were two groups clustered together in two large areas. One being twice the size of the others.

After looking over the map, he plotted a course that would take him right past both sections without being detected. With everything all set, he shut down his omni-tool and activated his cloak before making his way down the tunnel again. Being sure to skirt his way around the Keepers so that they wouldn't discover him.

The trail of information he collected on the Eclipse activities ended here. Whatever they had planned had to do with the service tunnels leading to the Presidium, and Jason was liking it less and less the more he uncovered.

This was strickly a stealth and recon mission. He didn't like it, but if the mercs figured out that he was there they'd panic and do something drastic which would make things a lot worse. Which meant that he needed to get in, find what he needed and get out before he was found.

After treading through the tunnels, stopping in an alcove every so often so that his suit's energy could recharge. Jason made it to the section that had the larger cluster of heat signatures.

A door with a red holo-lock stood before him. The sounds of voices could be heard from the inside but Jason couldn't make out anything useful. Remembering his map, he crouched down into a nearby alcove and pried off a grate that lead into a duct that went directly through the large room beyond.

Keeping his cloak activated, he gently crawled inside and began to make his way through the wall. Staying on his stomach and trying to make as little noise as possible with each movement until he managed to find another grate leading into the room, stopping so that he could get a better look.

Inside was a room bigger than his apartment. Large cables came down from the ceiling and several parts of the walls leading to several large terminals in the center of the room where half a dozen Eclipse engineers were typing away at them. A dozen heavily armed mercs lined the walls around the room standing guard while the other six did their job.

The nano soldier noticed the dead bodies of two Keepers in the far corner which explained why they had remained undetected up until this point.

As he observed through the grate, Jason brought up information about the service network up on his HUD so that he could figure out what the hell they were up too. After reading several lines of information, he realized that this was one of dozens of electrical conduits that connected to the main power grid for the wards.

One of the mercs working at the terminals produced a hand held device that looked like a small black PDA and inserted it into the terminal he was working at. "And that should do it. The other teams should be finishing up any second." said the Salarian.

"And this'll work?" asked a Human checking his assault rifle.

"It will. One press of a button, and everything will be under our control." replied the engineer darkly.

Jason zoomed his visor in on one of the terminals hoping to see what they were up too, but couldn't get a clear view. "SECOND, any chance you can scan the terminals from here?" he whispered.

 **"Negative."** replied the AI making him curse mentally. He'd have to get closer, but if all the mercs saw him and opened fire things would get dicey.

He could take the mercs, but the power conduit would get badly damaged in the crossfire. He needed a new plan.

Deciding to move on and hope the next site gave him more intel. Jason began to move through the duct again, popping open the grate at the other end and climbing out before making his way down the tunnels again.

 **"Proximity Alert."** Jason pressed himself to the wall, drawing his combat knife as an Asari merc came around the nearby corner and headed his way. His cloak made him invisible for a short time, but if the merc got close enough he could make out the distorition in the air and alert the others.

The grip on the blade tightened, the soldier ready to spring as the merc walked past him slowly as he headed for the door leading to the room Jason had snuck past.

With the merc's back to him, Jason began to slowly make his way toward the corner where he had come from. Knife in his hand just incase. The merc reached the door and turned around facing the hallway and saw nothing out of the ordinary as Jason slipped around the corner and slowly followed the corridor.

He reached a second door with a green holo-lock. The image shimmered meaning it was about to open. Pressing himself to the wall again, Jason watched the door part and a Salarian merc walk out and head the same way the Asari did.

Seeing his chance, the soldier slipped inside quickly just before the door shut.

The room was half the size of the previous one, but looked to be more like a storage area for various supplies to help maintain the tunnel system in this sector. The only things that didn't belong there were a few crates barring the Eclipse logo and a large desk set up with several terminals in the corner where another merc sat going through something.

With no one else in the room, the nano soldier saw the opprotunity to get some answers. After making sure that the lone merc wasn't paying attention, he activated his omni-tool and disabled the lock on the door before slowly sneaking up to the merc at the desk.

When he reached the man, he cocked his fist back and punched him hard in the temple, knocking him out cold. "Nighty, night asshole." he muttered laying his upper half on the desk to make it look like he fell asleep, turning his head to cover the bruise that would be forming soon.

Jason immediatly brought up his omni-tool and started going through the terminals set up. Each one contained dozens of files about shipments, troop locations, recruitments, and several other pieces of the mercs operations that were happening on the Citadel.

Working fast, Jason kept searching for anything that would hint to whatever they were planning on doing down here. After another minute he found something. A file labled 'Operation: Flytrap'.

Clicking on the file Jason cursed when a window popped up requiring a password to enter. "SECOND, rip the file. We don't have time to decrypt it now." he said checking his motion tracker.

 **"Download Commencing."** Jason clicked on another file that held a dossier of a Salarian with greenish-brown skin. A computer expert by the name of Kaion Xambit that was employed by the Eclipse to assist them.

Looking down at the file about Operation Flytrap, Jason could assume that what ever the operation was, that the Salarian in the dossier was helping them with it in some way. He quickly filed away a copy of the dossier to his omni-tool just as his motion tracker pinged, the two guards from earlier approaching the door.

"Shit." he muttered as SECOND finished the download. After shutting down the computer, Jason brought up the map of the tunnels again to give him a quick escape route. The sound of the mercs pounding on the door rang through the room as he found another duct in the back that lead to a seperate system.

Just as the two mercs outside started to hack the door, Jason vaulted over to the duct and pried the grate off, slipping inside and quickly replacing it just as the guards entered the room. "What the fuck? Sleeping on the job again." said one of them shaking his head.

"The boss is gonna kill him if he keeps this shit up." said the other. Both unaware of the soldier that slowly slipped away from them.

X

Jason pulled himself out of the duct and looked around the small room, a door across from him being the only way out. "SECOND, where are we?" he asked opening the door and seeing it lead to an exit to the service tunnels.

 **"Scans indicate current location being in the 800 Blocks within the Upper Wards. No hostiles detected."** Jason activated his cloak and walked out of the service entrance checking around to make sure that no one was nearby before leaping high and grabbing onto the window ledge of a nearby building. He repeated the action two more times until he was ontop of the large apartment complex.

"Well, looks like we got ourselves a new lead." he said about to activate his omni-tool when it suddently chimed with a new message. Curious, he opened it and saw that is was from Reena;

 _ **From: Reena'Nolen**_

 _ **To: Jason Harlow**_

 _ **Heads up! Chellick says the Citadel Council has sent a Spectre after Maverick! Be careful!**_

Jason mentally cursed, he knew it was a matter of time before the council got smart and decided to get involved. But to send a Spectre? He shuddered at the thought of who they would have chosen to track him down.

Bringing up the dossier on the Salarian computer expert he found, the soldier saw that he lived in the 800 Blocks close by. If there was anyone that could tell him what the mercs were up to and what Operation Flytrap was it would be Kaion.

Activating his cloak once more, Jason made sure to check his surroundings before he began to make his way toward the Salarian's home that had been listed on the dossier.

X

Tela Vasir lowered her binoculars and smirked. She loved it when her hunts gave her a challenge.

Touching her ear piece, she contacted C-Sec.

X

Chellick had just finished walking Reena back to her's and Jason's apartment when his omni-tool went off with a call. "Hold on a sec." he said turning to answer it. "Chellick here."

 _'It's Garrus. We just got contacted by Vasir. She's spotted Maverick in the 800 Blocks and is requesting backup to box him in before he get's away.'_

"I'm on my way." he said quickly cutting the call. He looked at Reena and pressed his forehead to her helmet, "I'm sorry I have to go so soon, I'll call you later okay?" The Quarian nodded as her boyfriend headed back to the elevator.

Reena quickly slipped into her apartment and started typing on her omni-tool as fast as he fingers could go. She had to warn Jason before it was too late.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Kaion Xambit's Apartment Building - 800 Blocks**

 **November 24, 2180 - 16:20 hours**

Finding the building wasn't difficult. Neither was getting inside thanks to the nano suit's cloaking. Then again, the security measures in this universe weren't set up to handle such technology...yet anyway.

Finding the floor and room number, Jason took the stairs. Being sure to make as little noise as possible so he wouldn't alert the other people living there. Reaching the designated floor, he crept out into the hallway and headed toward the door leading into Kaion's apartment.

Along the way, he read the Salarian's dossier that had been compiled by the Eclipse. He had been apart of the Salarian STG operating as a tech expert and hacker. After several years served, he left STG and went into his own business as a programmer for military grade tech. He was well known for making upgraded versions of shields, omni-tools, hacking equipment and other programs for various military branches.

The fact that the Eclipse had him on their payroll meant that Kaion wasn't as honest and justly as he made everyone believe. But the real question was what was he doing for them?

When he got to the door, Jason drew his pistol and activated a hack program to get the door open. He waited a good 15 seconds before the lock turned green and the door slid apart allowing him to sneak inside.

The interior was dark. No one was home. Which worked just fine with Jason.

 **"Nano Vision Engaged."** the room lit up allowing the soldier to see better. Deactivating his cloak as he made his way through the apartment and being sure not to disturb anything as he moved.

The heat/night vision of his visor didn't detect any signatures within close proximity. But all that could change very quickly if he didn't hurry.

Checking a few rooms, Jason located what looked to be an office with several terminals set up with work benches covered in various devices lined the walls. The room screamed tech wizard in every sense.

Deactivating the nano vision, the soldier stepped into the room keeping his weapon at the ready just incase something happened as he approached the desk first.

As he moved, he never saw the small beam of light on the floor as his foot passed through it.

Reaching the desk, he immediately went to work hacking into the main terminal set up there. "Let's see what he's got on hand. SECOND, hack the encryption and show me the more secured files." he asked touching the terminal with his omni-tool activated.

The screen flared to life as data scrolled across it. After a few moments several files appeared on screen. Jason looked over each for anything familiar when he spotted one labled 'TX-99'. Clicking on the file, a blue print of a familiar device appeared on screen. The very same device that he saw the merc in the tunnels putting into the power conduit.

"SECOND, what am I looking at here?" Jason asked reading the blueprint.

 **"The device displayed is designed to implant a virus that can be activated via a frequency designated for it."** explained the AI as it showed the files it had been hacking into.

"So the device infects whatever it's plugged into...shit!" he cursed as he looked through more of the files and found one labeled Operation: Flytrap.

Clicking on it, he found that it was also encrypted. Firing another hacking program, the soldier sat back and waited for the firewalls to go down as he started piecing things together. It all added up, the increase in manpower, gaining access the the service tunnels around the Presidium, a device that implants a virus that they were putting them into the power conduits to be activated at a later date.

The terminal chimmed signaling the file was successfuly hacked. Opening it up, Jason's eyes widened as he read over what the operation was about. "Son of a bitch..."

A small alarm suddently started ringing from the terminals before they all shut down. The center one coming back online a second later revealing the face of Kaion leering back at him.

"Maverick...I should have known you'd be hunting for me sooner or later." he said sarcastically.

"You've had it coming it would seem." Jason replied with his voice filtered. "Do you honestly think the Eclipse are going to keep you around once they have what they're after? To think you were someone to be respected for your work in the STG, now your just a pathetic brain for hire."

"It isn't a matter of morals or ethics. It's a cruel galaxy, but I believe that you already know that' don't you?" said Kaion stiffly. "You go around the Citadel attacking the mercenaries, for what purpose? To make the galaxy a better place? That is truely pathetic. The universe could be thrown into total chaos and the simple minded will go about their lives like nothing is happening around them."

"You talk and act like one of those who think their way of 'saving the innocent' is what will save the universe. That code of honor...is nothing but a bad joke." said the Salarian.

"That's big talk, coming from a tech expert that's double dealing under the table to help the Eclipse attack the center of government." Jason said grimly.

"You call it double dealing, I just call it business." said Kaion.

"What is the plan, Kaion? What the hell are the mercs going to do with the Presidium?" He already knew full well reading the files, but he had to play stupid so that they wouldn't get wind of it and change course.

"The Citadel and it's council will find out soon enough. _You_ however, will never see another day." The sound of engines powering up outside the window of the office caught Jason's attention as two gunships baring the Eclipse logo appeared with their weapons coming online. "Goodbye Maverick." with that the terminals completely shut down as the gunships opened fire.

Jason threw himself over the desk as the windows shattered and the heavy rounds tore through the furniture and appliances in the room. **"Maximum Armor."** He leapt up with his assault rifle in hand and fired on the air units.

The rounds dented the gunships' armor, a few of them hitting the cockpit's canopy and cracking the reinforced glass. The pilots moved the ships out of the line of fire before coming back and firing their heavy guns back into the apartment. The soldier quickly fled the room to avoid being bottle necked by the two arial units. Venting his weapon as he moved through the hallway and into the living room where the gunships were waiting for him outside the large window.

Throwing himself against the wall as more heavy rounds tore through the room. Jason peered around the corner and activated his visor. The enhanced vision highlighted the gunships and their weapons. The units were armed with just their machine guns and a few rockets, but both could prove to be trouble if they fired on anything other than him.

 **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** Jason drew his bow, spinning out of cover and kicking the nearby couch hard through the window.

The large piece of furniture struck the first gunship, shattering against it's nose and making it pitch back a ways. Jason drew back an explosive arrow and let it fly, exploding on the right wing of the second gunship and sending it spiralling down to the ground below.

The first gunship moved back into position, the visor of the nano suit immediately picked up one of the missiles of the unit as it came on and fired in his direction. **"Maximum Armor."** The explosion from the rocket destroyed the living room, sending debris and shrapnel flying in all directions.

The nano suit's strengthened and hardened weave deflected the debris and absorbed the blast from the explosion as Jason put his bow away and ran full sprint toward the window. Throwing himself out into open air thirteen stories above the ground and latched onto the cockpit of the gunship.

Jason raised his fist and punched it through the canopy and grabbed the pilot by his throat. "Happy landing." he said grimly as he snapped the man's neck in his grip.

With the pilot dead, the gunship started to fall. The soldier grabbed the controls from the outside and pulled up, leveling it off and slowing it's decent as it fell. While the ground approached, Jason timed it as the unit reached the one story mark on the apartment building before he back flipped off just before it hit the ground.

The ship crumpled and crashed on impact, but thankfully didn't explode thanks to the controlled fall.

"Well, that could have gone better." he muttered to himself as he stood up and looked at the crowd gathering around the two wrecked gunships and were in awe seeing him. It was then his omni-tool chimed with an incoming message once again;

 _ **From: Reena'Nolen**_

 _ **To: Jason Harlow**_

 _ **C-SEC AND THE SPECTRE KNOW WHERE YOU ARE! GET OUT OF THERE!**_

It was then Jason looked up and saw several police skycars parked all around him with over two dozen C-Sec officers with their guns drawn.

And standing at the head of them with her biotics flared, was Tela Vasir. "Maverick! Drop your weapons and surrender! You are under arrest!" the Spectre called out.

Clenching his fists, the soldier looked at his opposition. **"Tactical Options Available."**

 _ **A/N: Looks like C-Sec and the Council have finally caught up with him. But with how well he's able to get out of tight spots, you can bet that Jason won't go down without a fight.**_

 _ **Reviews still very much welcome, and I'll have an update ready within the next day or so.**_


	10. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I promised to deliver, and I'm never one to (purposely) let people down.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **800 Blocks - Upper Wards**

 **November 24, 2180 - 16:57 hours**

Jason looked through his visor and tagged all of the C-Sec officers and their cruisers as non-hostile on his HUD. Despite their goal to take him down, he wouldn't attack them regardless of what they tried to do to him.

Vasir was another matter entirely. She was a Spectre, one of the council's best. But if they knew about what she did for the information given to her about her missions they wouldn't think so highly of her. He tagged her as a hostile since she was the more dangerous among those gathered.

 **"Tactical Options Available."** A small map of the area appeared with a waypoint over a rapid transit hub several blocks away. A plan began to form in the soldier's head. "SECOND, can you hack the skycar for the rapid transit?" he whispered while keeping his eyes on all of the weapons aimed at him.

 **"Affermative. Direct Contact Required."** Jason clenched his fists again as he prepared himself.

X

Vasir kept her gaze on the vigilante. She read the reports, saw the footage, and from what she had seen he could prove to be a difficult individual to bring down. His black and silver armor was nothing the Asari had seen in the centuries she's been alive. It's capabilities looked to be endless with how he took down the mercs.

And because of that, the council were not the only ones who were after him.

Her information benefactor, the Shadow Broker, showed great interest in someone of his skills and had requested that she go about her mission another way. One where Maverick wound up in his control instead of the council's jails.

The C-Sec officers kept their weapons trained on Maverick and focused. Seeing the vigilante for the first time had many of them shivering. He was much bigger than they originally thought. And seeing him bringing down two gunships on his own told them that they'd be needing a lot more than their sidearms for this.

Chellick and Garrus stood among their colleages observing the man. After all this time they were able to see Maverick in person, and like the others, the two Turians realized they may be out gunned. "We gotta plan?" asked Chellick. Garrus' silence told him all it needed to.

With her biotics flared, Vasir spoke out once again, "Maverick! This is your last chance, in the name of the Citadel Council drop your weapons and surrender!"

The vigilante looked in her direction, but didn't say a word which unnerved many in the assembled officers. A large crowd of civilians had gathered just outside the group, many had mixed feelings about the situation considering what they had seen the vigilante do moments before.

Jason reached a hand behind his back, "You want me?" he said, his filtered voice making many shiver, as he pulled out a couple grenades from his pack. "Come and get me." he tossed the explosives onto the ground infront of him. The flashbangs went off making everyone cover their eyes as he spun around and began running toward the cruisers blocking his path.

Vasir covered her eyes, but managed to throw something at Maverick as he made his escape.

Vaulting over the skycars and the C-Sec personnel who were still recovering from the disorientation, Jason used the suit's enhanced abilities to run faster as he sped it to the rapid transit hub several blocks away.

Vasir was the first to recover and gave chase, using her biotics to enhance her speed as she went after the vigilante. The C-Sec officers recovered soon after, half giving chase on foot while the others piled into their cruisers and taking to the air.

Jason kept up his speed, reaching the rapid transit hub and calling a cab. When the automated skycar arrived he leapt into the drivers seat and grabbed the dashboard allowing SECOND to hack into it. "Let's go!"

X

Vasir and the C-Sec officers behind her arrived in time to see the skycar rise into the air and take off. "He's hacked a transit cab! Get after him!" she shouted into her comm. The police cruisers picked up speed and took off after it with their lights and sirens blaring.

Back on the ground, the Asari Spectre brought up her omni-tool. A frown covered her face at what she was seeing.

X

In the air, the C-Sec units chased the hijacked cab. Coming up fast behind it as it weaved in and out of traffic in an attempt to avoid them. "He's not slowing down, take it out!" Garrus ordered from the center of the group.

The lead crusier zoomed ahead, pulling up along side of the cab before slamming hard against it's side. The cab shuddered but maintained flight as a second cruiser pulled along the other side and slammed it as well.

Both cruisers hammered on the cab until smoke billowed from it's engine. The cab pitched hard to the right before dropping, crashing hard into a construction site in the 500 Blocks, going straight through a half built office building before coming to rest in the vacant street under it.

"He's down, all squads move in!" ordered Garrus as the units came down. C-Sec personnel filing out and surrounding the downed cab with weapons drawn. "Maverick this is C-Sec! Come out with your hands in the air!" Garrus shouted with his sidearm drawn with Chellick right next to him.

They all held their breath for several seconds, but nothing happened. Garrus tredded forward and activated his omni-tool to unlock the crashed car's doors. With the police moving in, they raised their weapons as the doors all opened.

Nothing.

"Dammit!" Garrus shouted. "He's not here! He hacked the cab as a diversion!"

X

From a rooftop within the 800 Blocks, Jason deactivated the zoom on his visor as he began moving again. Now that C-Sec and the Spectre were off his back he could get away a little bit easier.

Now he had to focus on finding a way to stop Eclipse's' plans before it was too late.

 **"Warning: Threat Detected."** something slammed him hard in the back sending the soldier crashing to the ground.

Quickly rolling back to his feet, Jason looked up in time to see Vasir lower herself to the rooftop with her biotics. "That was a nice trick you pulled. Not many could throw C-Sec off of their trail so effectively." she said with her gaze focused on him.

Jason's eyes narrowed behind his visor. How did she see through the diversion?

His HUD flared, showing a diagram of the nano suit before a small red blip appeared on his right side. Reaching down, the soldier pulled a small device the size of bullet head from the suit's weave.

"Tracking device. Cleaver." he said crushing the thing between his fingers.

The Spectre started to walk in a circle, Jason mimicing her movements as they stalked each other. "I've read the reports, seen you in action. I must say I'm impressed. You don't see someone with your skills and abilities everyday." she said as they kept moving.

"I'm one of a kind." Jason replied. "And I know a lot about you as well...Tela Vasir."

The two stopped as the Asari leered at him, "Oh really? And what about me do you know so well?" she asked crossing her arms.

"Your a Spectre, one of the best elected by the council only when they want things done quickly and quietly. Which is why you were sent after me. But there's something else, something the council doesn't know about." Jason crossed his own arms. "Do they know how you get your information so quickly and accurately?"

Vasir's eyes narrowed, there was no way he could know. It was impossible for some random vigilante to know the deal she has with the Shadow Broker. "What are you going on about?"

Jason shook his head and chuckled, "Your not as careful as you think Vasir. Working with the Shadow Broker doesn't work out well for anyone, when they've finished serving their purpose to him."

The Spectre's biotics flared, "That's big talk coming from someone like you." she growled menacingly. She couldn't wrap her head around how someone like _him_ could find out about the information network given to her. "You honestly think a council Spectre would willingly work with a criminal mastermind like the Shadow Broker?"

"I don't _think_. I _know_." said Jason. "How do you think the council will react when they discover one of their best double dealing under the table? Doing their assignments, while at the same time doing jobs for the Shadow Broker to keep the intel flowing."

Vasir roared and fired a warp that struck the soldier in the chest like a small wrecking ball. "How would you know!" she shouted blasting him again and knocking him back several steps. She calmed slightly and kept her face passive, "The jobs he gives me are no different than that of the council. They give us the freedom to do what we can to get the job done."

"We're outlaws for the politics here on the Citadel. Diplomatic immunity, making our own rules, dealing with the pieces of shit in the galaxy our way as long as the public at large is safe." She smirked, "Guess that's where we're alike. I can see why you chose the alias 'Maverick', it sums up what you do very nicely. No different than what we Spectres do on a regular basis."

Jason stood his ground while his HUD was going haywire from the biotic attacks. "We're nothing alike. I may have the same mentality as 'some' of the Spectres. But unlike you I don't slaughter innocent people to appease my other boss."

His hands flexed, "Speaking of which, how much is he paying you to betray your orders from the council to bring me to him?"

The Asari Spectre had heard enough and threw a lift at him. Levitating him off the ground before he was thrown across the roof and into a wall. Jason got to his feet and quickly drawing his assault rifle when a warp struck him.

 **"Warning: Suit Integrity Compromised. Unknown Energy Element Detected."** Jason stumbled when another warp attack struck him in the chest sending him slamming into the wall behind him again.

Vasir stalked forward as the nano soldier staggered to his feet. "Is this all the great 'Maverick' has? I thought you'd be more of a challenge?" she taunted.

Jason's HUD shimmered as SECOND repaired the damage to the suit. **"System Reconfiguring. Adapting to Biotic Energy Signature."** Several window appeared as the AI collected data received from the confrontation so far. Altering the nano suit and adapting it to the new change in combat.

Vasir stopped several feet away and powered up her biotics. "I think it's time I brought you down for good."

 **"System Rebooting...Complete."** Jason braced himself as the Spectre threw a shockwave at him. **"Maximum Armor."**

The biotic attack struck him, the nano suit's outer layer shimmered as the energy flowed over him like water in a raging river. Yet the soldier remained standing with his energy meter dropping over half from the strength behind the attack.

From where she stood, Vasir looked gobsmacked. "How...how are you still standing? That attack would rip a normal Human in half!"

Jason cracked his neck, "Like I said, I'm one of a kind." he said before charging forward. The Asari fired several warps, each one hitting the vigilante but not haulting his movements. When his energy meter hit zero and his armor mode was disabled as he reached the Spectre and delivered a thundering right cross that knocked her across the rooftop.

Recovering quickly, she drew her pistol and fired a few shots forcing the soldier to dodged to the side.

Grabbing the Spectre's arm, he twisted it to the side forcing the next round fired to go wide as he elbowed her in the stomach before flipping her over his shoulder. The Asari shot her leg up and kicked the vigilante in the head making him stumble back and allowing her to get back to her feet.

Vasir powered up her biotics and fired another shockwave. The nano soldier dived out of the way in time and quickly activated his cloak. "You can't hide from me!" she called out looking all over for him.

"Don't need to." he said appearing behind her and kicking the Spectre hard in the back. Vasir did a front hand spring and landed back on her feet, Jason drew his bow and shot an arrow forcing her to throw up a biotic barrier to deflect it.

With the Spectre distracted, Jason ran up and slid across the ground, kicking her feet out from under her as he slid past.

"This is getting old." Vasir muttered getting back to her feet and firing a singularity at him. The small blackhole-like attack began to draw everything into it's pull, Jason planted his feet hard into the ground, and fought against the gravity well until he managed to get out of it's range only to dive out of the way again.

"You can't keep this up forever Maverick!" Vasir shouted throwing another shockwave at him.

Jason leapt over the attack, drawing his Hammer and raining bullets down onto the Asari who threw up another barrier, several rounds skimming her armor before the energy could shield her.

Pumping more power into his system through the suit, the soldier put his pistol away and slammed his fist hard against the barrier making Vasir strain harder to keep it up.

He slammed the barrier again and again until the Spectre couldn't keep it up anymore. Dropping it and swinging a biotic fist out that barely missed his helmeted face. Jason grabbed her arm and struck her with an uppercut that staggered her. Using the distraction, he punched her hard in the stomach, denting her armor and causing her to double over before slamming his knee into her face and launching her into the air.

Vasir attempted to right herself, but found her throat encased in the vigilante's grasp. "I don't want to kill you Vasir. No matter what you may think, I'm nothing like you. I don't kill because it's convenient."Jason said grabbing her arm as she attempted to throw a warp at him, his other hand going around her neck.

The Asari chuckled, "It's not just me you have to worry about. You think the council will give up simply because you beat one of us? Your fucked no matter what you do."

He cluched her throat tighter, he _should_ kill her right now and ensure that every horrible act she committs in the near future never happens. But at the same time, he knows the repercussions of such an act would cause.

Whether he hated to admit it or not, she was right. No matter how this ended he was fucked. But killing a council Spectre would put him at the top of the most wanted lists in almost every corner of the traverse. He'd be hunted and executed before he ever got a chance to help Shepard save the galaxy.

Despite the features, the nano suit had limits. And an entire galaxy hunting for him reached those limits and beyond.

"Maybe I am." Jason said raising his fist. "But I'm not your prize today." he punched her hard in the temple, knocking her out before pulling a nearby metal bar from the rooftop and wrapping it around her to make sure she was subdued.

With Vasir out of the way, Jason activated his cloak and leapt off the rooftop. Hitting the ground hard before sprinting away from the area as fast as his enhanced legs could take him.

X

Reena paced the apartment, worry and fear coming off of her in waves as she prayed for both Chellick's and Jason's safety. She worried about her boyfriend's well being, but at the same time she didn't want her Human friend to be captured, or worse killed.

She jumped when the door to the apartment opened.

Jason came in deactivating his cloak and pulling his helmet off. "Jason! Thank keelah!" she shouted running over and hugging him. She pulled back and looked into his face. "Chellick? Is he-"

"He's fine. I made a diversion that drew C-Sec away. I had them all labeled as non-combatants. I won't fight or kill any of them regardless of what they try to do to me." Jason replied sitting at the table and slumping down.

Reena sat across from him, "What happened?"

Jason sighed, "I figured out what the Eclipse are up to. Their plan, how they're going to do it. Everything."

The Quarian perked up, "That's great! Now it can all be stopped." Jason shook his head confusing her,

"Not that simple. It's a lot bigger and more devious than I originally thought. Christ, I only managed to read just enough to understand it all and _I_ can't believe they could pull it off." he said making her stomach sink.

"How bad?" she asked fearing the answer.

"Bad...very bad." Jason said running his hand over his shaved head. "I can't do it alone Reena. They have an army waiting to strike at the right moment. I need to have C-Sec and the council aware of what's happening before it's too late."

Reena recoiled in shock, "Jason if you step into C-Sec headquarters it's all over! They won't believe you because they're so uptight about their rules and regulations to take you seriously."

The nano soldier nodded before bringing up his omni-tool. "That's why I'm going to do something I had promised us both I'd never do." Finding what he was looking for, he hit the button and waited.

 _"Chellick here."_ replied his Turian friend.

"Chellick, it's Jason. Listen I need you to come to mine and Reena's apartment ASAP." he said causing Reena's eyes to widen greatly.

 _"I'm a little busy at the moment, Jason. Maverick was here in the 800 Blocks and we missed him."_ replied the detective.

"That's what I want to talk to you about...I have information on Maverick." said Jason. Reena covered her mouth piece not believing what she was hearing.

Chellick was silent for a few moments, _"You have information on the vigilante we've been hunting? For how long?"_ he asked in a low voice meaning he was away from others.

"A while, and before you start in on me about it I had my reasons. I just need you to get here as fast as you can and come alone." said the soldier.

 _"Jason...you know I can't-"_

"Please Chellick...if there was anytime I needed you to trust me. Now is that time." Jason interrupted desperately.

Chellick sighed, _"Alright, I'm on my way. And this better be really good, Jason."_ he said cutting the line. Jason closed his omni-tool and rubbed his eyes.

"Jason...what are you doing?" asked Reena sounding close to tears.

"Something I should have done when you found out about me, Reena." he said looking back at her. "I can't do this alone. The Citadel is in danger and I can't attempt this on my own."

Sitting back in his chair he smiled sadly, "I only hope Chellick can forgive me when it's all over."

X

Chellick entered his friend's and girlfriend's apartment. The whole way over he had been thinking about what Jason had wanted to tell him that was so important that he had to leave the crime scenes they had been going over.

But from the sounds of it, it was very serious. He'd never heard Jason as serious as he was on the call that was made. He trusted the Human greatly, so whatever he had was important.

Yet something in the back of the detective's mind told him that something was about to go down and he wasn't going to like it.

Entering the living room, he saw Reena sitting on the couch staring at the coffee table. "Hey." he said coming in and sitting down next to her.

"Hello, you." she replied, but her voice lacked the usual enthusiasm.

Chellick raised an eye ridge, "Reena, what's wrong? And where's Jason, he said he had something important to tell me about Maverick."

He saw the Quarian visibly flinch and was now concerned. "Reena what's going on?" he asked serious. "Did something happen to you? To Jason?" she shook her head in response. "Spirits Reena what is happening!" he asked loudly.

Reena looked at him with sad glowing eyes, "He's here." she said standing up and facing the window.

Chellick looked at her confused, "Who's here?"

"Hello detective."

The Turian was off the couch, weapon in hand as Maverick decloaked right infront of him. "YOU! What are you doing here! What did you do to Reena! Where's Jason?" he demanded keeping the sidearm trained on the vigilante's head.

Maverick looked at the Turian for a few moments before reaching for his helmet. "He's right here." The gun nearly slipped out of Chellick's hand as the Jason's face was revealed to him.

"W-What?...Jason?...H-How-Why?" the detective stumbled over his words trying to form a sentence.

Jason set the helmet down on the coffee table and faced his friend as he overcame his shock. "Y-Your Maverick...all this time." Chellick's face formed into one of rage as he pointed the gun at Jason's head. "All this time it's been YOU!" he roared, his weapon shaking in his grip.

Looking back at him with a calm expression, Jason let out a sigh. "I know your pissed Chellick-"

"PISSED?" Chellick exclaimed. "I'M NOT PISSED, I'M FUCKING LIVID!" he looked at Reena who hadn't said a word. "Reena did you know about this!" he demanded.

"Don't get on her case!" Jason shouted regaining the detective's attention. "She found out on her own, and I made her promise not to say anything to anyone. I didn't even want her knowing about it." he said somberly. "I didn't want anyone to know."

Chellick growled while bringing up his omni-tool to call C-Sec.

Jason's hand grabbed his wrist with surprising strength. The detective pressed the barrel of his pistol to the Human's forehead. "Before you call in the cavalry to take me in, hear what I have to say." he said not at all bothered by the gun in his face.

"Why the fuck should I? Give me one damn good reason." Chellick growled ferally.

"The safety of the Citadel and the council." Jason said dead serious. The two stared each other down for several minutes before the Turian lowered his weapon. "You've got ten minutes."

"The Eclipse are planning on attacking the Presidium." Jason said grimly forcing the detective to sit up straight.

"What? That's not possible. The Presidium is the most guarded sector of the station." he said not believing him.

"That's where Kaion Xambit comes in." the nano soldier replied. "That's whose apartment I was at earlier today. He was hired by the Eclipse to create a device that will transmit a virus into the power conduits all over the Upper Wards and the Embassies."

Chellick froze, eyes widening slightly, "How did they get that kind of control? How is it possible for them to do it?"

Jason sat in the armchair across from him, "The service tunnels underneath the wards. They used the Red Sand dealers to find out how to gain access to them, from there they killed the Keepers looking after the conduits to be able to attach the devices to the terminals."

He brought out his omni-tool and showed the blueprint of the device, "Kaion called it the TX-99. The virus is remote activated with the power to overload the conduits temporarily. They'll have complete control of the power for that sector. Security systems will be shutdown, elevators and doors disabled, the mercs would have control over all of it."

Chellick leaned back in his seat absorbing it all in, "When? When are they planning on doing this?"

Jason checked his omni-tool and looked grim again, "10 hours from now." Chellick's head shot up and Reena spun around.

"That soon!" shouted the detective standing up quick. "Why are they doing this?"

"Control of the Citadel." said Jason. "If the mercs gain control of the Presidium, they'll take the station's control tower. They take the tower, they have control of the Citadel arms and thus the station itself." he leaned back a bit, "Once the power and security is down, they have over 400 mercs ready to storm the Presidium and take it by force. Complete with YIMR mechs, LOKI mechs and gunships."

"They're going to overthrow the government." said Reena finally.

The nano soldier nodded, "Exactly. Jona Sedaris is behind it all, guess she really is as crazy as they say she is."

Chellick took several deep breaths to calm his already frayed nerves. "Why are you telling me all of this? Why reveal your identity to me now?" he asked wanting a direct answer.

Jason reached into his suit and produced a OSD. "This disc contains all of the information about the Eclipse's plans. Where they're going to strike, the locations of the effected conduits, blueprints of the TX-99, everything that C-Sec and the council will require to mount an effective defense when the shit hits the fan."

Taking the disc, Chellick looked at Jason as he stood up. "What are you going to do?"

Jason picked up his helmet and headed to his bedroom, "I'm going after Kaion. He made the device and the virus, he'll have a way to shut it down." he said disappearing down the hall.

Silence filled the living room while he was gone. Chellick looked down at the OSD before slipping it into his pocket. "He was looking out for us." he looked at Reena who had her back to him. "He didn't want the mercs coming after us to get to him, so he kept it to himself."

She turned to him, "He also didn't want to force you to pick between your job and your friendship to him. That's why he never told you." she said sadly.

Approaching his girlfriend, Chellick wrapped his arms around her from behind. "It's just...a lot to take in all at once. To know Jason was Maverick after all this time is hard to swallow." He nuzzled his jaw along her covered neck making her shiver, "I'm sorry I was so harsh."

Reena reached her hands up and stroked his fringe making him purr, "It's okay. I can't blame you for being upset. I was pretty pissed at him too. But now he needs us, and the Citadel hangs in the balance."

Chellick nodded as they broke apart when Jason entered the living room again armed to the teeth. "Get that data to Executor Pallin and the council, make sure they're ready no matter what it takes." he said slipping his helmet back on and heading for the door.

"Jason." Chellick called making the vigilante freeze by the door. "When this is all over, I expect a damn good explanation for all of this." said the Turian seriously.

The Human nodded as Reena spoke up next, "Be careful out there Jason."

"It's not me that should be worrying." Jason said in his filtered voice as he activated his cloak and vanished.

 **A/N: It would seem things are coming to a head with the Eclipse. And with Chellick now in the know, how will the events to follow play out?**

 **I'll drop another installment tomorrow night, so leave as many comments and reviews until then and I'll be sure that you get it!**


	11. Chapter 10

_**A/N: With what is coming in the next few chapters, I'm tempted to amp up my update time to get them out quicker. And with most of you who are invested on the edge of your seats already, I have a whole lot of reasons to do just that.**_

 _ **One hell of a fight is about to take place. And I'm ready to repost it to the world.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Industrial District - Lower Wards**

 **Novermber 25, 2180 - 06:00 hours**

 **(3 Hours Until Assault Begins)**

It had taken several hours until Jason could locate where Kaion was hiding out. Having SECOND scan multiple communication channels until the Salarian's location was broadcasted over a private channel.

Kaion was holed up in a small warehouse with roughly 20 mercs guarding him with an unknown amount of mechs programmed to kill anything not wearing Eclipse armor.

Jason parked the hacked skycar he'd taken ontop of a roof outside the warehouse's perimeter before observing the opposition down below. Half of the mercs were outside the building along with a handful of LOKI mechs partoling.

A call coming in on his omni-tool just as he finished tagging the last of the hostiles, "Yes?" he asked answering.

 _"It's Chellick. I got the data to Pallin. He's forwarding it all to the rest of C-Sec, E-Sec and the guards stationed around the Presidium. E-Sec is preparing several squads to go into the service tunnels to try and secure the power conduits from the mercs' control."_

"I've located Kaion's location. When they secure the conduits have them on standby until I can get the deactivation code for the devices." he replied having his visor zoom in on the group below.

 _"The Executor wants answers on how I obtained the information."_ said the detective.

"Tell him you found it at the crime scene. They won't take any of it seriously if they know it came from me." replied the nano soldier as he started to make his way down to street level.

Chellick sighed, _"Do you need back up?"_

"No. You need to help organize the defense when they attack. I'll handle Kaion."

Jason reached the ground as he heard his Turian friend let out another breath, _"Good luck, Jason. Try not to get yourself killed out there."_

Smirking, Jason drew his assault rifle and activated his cloak. "I've survived this long on my own Chellick. I think I can handle this." the call ended just as he slipped inside of the warehouse's perimeter.

 **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** SECOND said into his ear as he tagged all of the hostiles in the area. With less than five hours before the attack he didn't have time for stealth.

Reaching the first merc, he shot him in the back of the head with his rifle before quickly taking down the other two that were standing close to him. With his cloak now down the rest of the gathered mercs began shooting in his direction.

 **"Maximum Armor."** the rounds bounced off of his armor as he emptied the rest of his weapons clip into the other mercs. Smashing the butt of the rifle into the head of a LOKI mech and crushing it like a tin can.

The surviving mercs began to fall back. Jason charged forward, kicking one hard in the chest and sending him crashing into the door of the warehouse as he switched from his AR to his shotgun, shooting the last handful of hostiles in a hail of close-range blasts before they could regroup.

"Now then, let's find out what's behind door number one." he said, venting his shotgun before raising his foot and kicking the already dented door off its hinges.

X

 **Chellick**

 **C-Sec Headquarters - Upper Wards**

 **November 25, 2180 - 06:13 hours**

All of C-Sec was in a state of chaos. Ever since Chellick arrived with the information everyone was called back to headquarters so that they could be prepared for the Eclipse attack.

Executor Pallin had read the data and had it authenticated before forwarding it to the council and the security stationed around the Presidium. He then called all on duty and off duty officers in to prepare for the worst.

E-Sec was mounting a strategic attack on the service tunnels to ensure that the power conduits were secure. While other squads would perform various sweeps to ensure that any mercs laying in wait were dealt with quickly.

"To think the mercs are this desperate to attack the head of the government, makes you wonder if there's something else going on." said Garrus as he and Chellick stood in the stations armory as they assembled their weapons.

"The fact that they're doing this at all is troubling." said Chellick slamming an ammo block into the Avenger assault rifle in his hands before slipping on an armor vest.

Garrus shot his long time friend a look before setting his sniper rifle aside, "How did you get that information anyway?" he asked straight to the point.

Chellick looked up at him, "At the crime scene. The apartment Maverick was located at, I told you this already Garrus." he said activating the kinetic barriers on the armor he now wore.

The other Turian stood up, his look turning calculating. "Chellick, I've known you for a couple of years now. I know the story you fed the Executor isn't the truth." he stood infront of his fellow detective how looked back at him just as hard. "Where did you get the information, Chellick?"

Not backing down, Chellick just starred right back. "Does it matter where I got if from? This data has been proven to be genuine and most likely will save countless lives. What's with the interrogation, Garrus?" he asked with an edge.

Garrus narrowed his eyes, "I find it rather convenient that the same place that Maverick was at has the data that contains everything about Eclipse's movements and their plans. I find it convenient that all of this data was found in one location so easily."

He got closer to the point he was almost in Chellick's face, "I find it convenient, that you find this data even though I know you were nowhere near the apartment in question. You were on the ground overlooking the crashed gunships when you got a call on your omni-tool. You left, then suddenly came back with all this valuable intel."

Chellick's hands clenched into fists, Garrus was too good at his job sometimes. He could see any lies that are fed to him and spit them back out like a bad piece of meat.

"You got this intel from Maverick didn't you?" Garrus asked when Chellick didn't answer. "Everything he collected on the mercs when he attacked their operations he gave to you to give to us."

Keeping their gaze locked, Chellick clicked his mandables. "Like I said, does it matter? It all adds up, everything the mercs have been working for under our noses is now bought to light."

"He's a vigilante!" Garrus hissed lowly. "How can he be trusted, he could be working for the mercs for all we know. Making us all follow a false lead and leading us into a trap?"

Chellick growled, "He can be trusted." Garrus didn't look convinced. "Garrus, if there was ever a time for you to trust me. Now is that time." he said using Jason's exact words.

After several seconds, Garrus sighed and stepped back. "I've never doubted you before. I won't start now. But when this is all over your 'friend' will have a lot to answer for. And you better be willing to help with that." without another word Garrus gathered his weapons and left the armory.

Breathing out a sigh of defeat, Chellick sat down on the bench in the center of the room rubbing his eyes. Praying to the Spirits that everything turned out okay when this all came to an end in the next few hours.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Industrial District - Lower Wards**

 **Novermber 25, 2180 - 6:20 hours**

Entering the warehouse, Jason shot the first merc in his sights before diving behind cover as a hail of gunfire roared in his direction. Peering around the crate he was behind, he tagged five mercs and ten LOKI mechs in the open space.

Six more mercs were on the catwalks around the room with sniper rifles waiting for him to come out of hiding.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** Jason stood up and saw several of the mercs on the ground level clustered together behind various forms of cover. Putting his shotgun away, he pulled out two grenades and primed them before hurling them across the room to the mercs in cover.

His feet were moving the moment the explosives left his hands. The explosions caused the whole room to erupt into chaos. Gunfire went around as the mercs tried to find his location.

Dropping behind cover again, Jason drew his bow and took out a few explosive arrows. Drawing one back, he shot it into the support of one of the catwalks above the room. He did the same to the rest of the catwalks before dropping back into cover as they exploded, weakening the supports for the catwalks and causing them, along with those standing on them to collapse to the ground crushing anyone and anything that was under them.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason got up with his AR and shot one of the disoriented mercs. Blowing his chest plate open before shooting the head off the damaged LOKI mech that had been standing next to him.

The remaining mercs and mechs attempted to regroup. Jason's rifle blew the mechs into scrap metal while the mercs fell in pools of blood.

With the room empty, Jason vented his AR and switched back to his shotgunl. "Now Kaion, it's time we met face to face."he said heading to the offices of the warehouse.

"It was a mistake for you to come here, Maverick." said the Salarian's voice through the building's intercoms. Jason had his rifle up and was surveying the area for any more hostiles. "You can't stop what the Eclipse have set in motion. The council will fall. The Citadel will be ours. And there's nothing you can do about it."

Three large crates suddenly split open drawing the soldier's attention. Three YIMR mechs unfolded and stood at their full height as their weapons systems came online. "You may have survived my apartment Maverick, let's see you get out of this one." The large mechs raised their chaingun arms and opened fire.

Jason dove into cover as the heavy rounds tore through everything around him. Peeking over, he had SECOND do a quick scan on the mechs for weaknesses.

Blueprints of the YIMR class mech appeared on his HUD and several points were highlighted as weak points. **"Tactical Options Avaliable** _ **."**_ Taking out his bow again, Jason lept from cover and let an arrow fly.

The bolt stabbed into the optic of the YIMR on the right, the mech shuddered with sparks shooting out of it before collapsing on it's knees with a loud beeping coming from it's chest. Jason dropped back down behind cover as the mech overloaded and exploded.

When the dust settled, the vigilante saw that the explosion had weakened the armor of the two other YIMRs greatly giving him something to work with.

The two large mechs lifted their other arms and fired two rockets in his direction. **"Maximum Armor."** Jason sprinted from his cover as it was destroyed. Two more rockets were fired, hitting the ground right behind him as he vaulted over a large crate that shielded him from the blast.

Drawing his Hammer in his right hand, while taking out a grenade in his left. The nano soldier ran toward the YIMRs, shooting at them along the way. Each round bouncing off of the heavy mechs' armor but caused them to step back and hold up their arm as a shield.

Jason dropped from his sprint and slid between the legs of one of the YIMRs, throwing the grenade up into an exposed section of it's armor where it stuck to the plates.

Coming out of the slide back on his feet and diving behind cover again. The grenade exploded blowing the mech's lower half to pieces and dropping it to the ground as it shut down from the excessive damage.

The last mech, uncaring of the fall of it's partners, opened fire with it's chain gun. Shredding apart the crate Jason has behind.

The YIMR stomped forward, shaking the ground slightly with each step as it approached the crate. Raising it's rocket launcher arm and smashing the crate aside only to see that it's target was not there.

Jason deactivated his cloak and leapt up onto the mech's back, driving his knife into the exposed circuits in it's neck. Cutting as many as he could before grabbing the cylinder head of the YIMR and snapping it hard to the side until it ripped right off of it's body.

Leaping off a moment later. The mech shuddered before collapsing onto the ground face first and laid still. "I've had enough of these games." Jason growled before reloading his pistol and heading toward the offices.

The corridor leading to the offices in the back of the warehouse was empty save for two LOKI mechs. Both of which had two holes through their heads as the vigilante walked past toward the main office of the building. **"Nano Vision Enabled."**

His visor lit up and revealed a single body sitting at the desk behind the door. Jason kicked the door open and stormed the office. The sight before his eyes making him freeze at the door.

X

The Cruiser sped through the early morning traffic along with several others as C-Sec personnel made their way to the Presidium to help defend if against the coming attack. Chellick drove while Garrus sat next to him with his sniper rifle out and ready to use when they arrived.

E-Sec had reported Eclipse in the service tunnels and were currently in the middle of a firefight to regain control of them. But the mercs were putting up a good fight, and the personnel in the tunnels were requesting backup.

They all landed close to the Presidium Commons and helped evacuate all of the civilians in the area that could be caught in the crossfire as C-Sec began setting up a perimeter. Several squads heading into the tunnels to assist E-Sec.

"Let's hope this ends quickly." said Garrus setting up. Chellick nodded in agreement while at the same time wondering what was happening on Jason's end.

X

Jason stepped into the office slowly, Hammer at the ready as he observed the room. It was basic, a few filing cabnets, a desk with a terminal and only one door leading in or out.

Behind the desk sat Kaion Xambit, a bullet hole in the side of his head as he slumped in the chair he was seated in. His large eyes glossy as they starred at the soldier when he entered.

Lowering his weapon, Jason checked the body and found it cold. He'd been dead for a while. And from SECOND's scans, he was dead long before the incident at the apartment in the 800 Blocks.

The terminal's screen on the desk suddently flared to life. The image of an all too familiar Asari appeared with a sadistic grin on her face. "Was wondering when you'd show up. You like the little gifts I left for you?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Jona Sedaris. Why don't you shoot yourself in the head and save me the bullet." said the nano soldier.

"Not going to happen. You know, you've been causing us a lot of fucking problems these last few months. I wanted you dealt with and strung up for all to see before our plans could come to reality. But seeings how you are a very hard asshole to kill, I decided to make both happen at the same time." said the Eclipse leader.

"I know your plans already, Sedaris. All of C-Sec and the council know. You won't succeed." said Jason. The soldier got a sudden sickening feeling in his stomach when he saw the Asari grin maniacly.

"That's where your wrong, Maverick. True our original plans were revealed, but I've decided to make things a bit more, interesting."

X

C-Sec personnel had set up a very well fortified defense all around the Presidium. But they all failed to notice the large squads of mercs that were heavily armed and armored that surrounded them on all sides.

X

In the service tunnels, E-Sec and C-Sec officers moved deeper inside as they approached the location of the power conduits. Passing by several shadows that hid devices with blinking red lights.

X

Squads of armed guards rode the elevators of the Citadel Tower to set up defense positions on the key floors of the large structure in the center of the Presidium. All of them unaware of the explosive charges set on the underside of each lift as several groups of Eclipse moved up the stairs.

X

"By the time those fools realize what is happening...it'll be too late." said Sedaris sadistically.

Jason glared hatefully at the terminal screen through his visor. Fists clenched in rage from the psychotic woman's words.

"I'll stop you. There won't be any force here or anywhere in the traverse that will allow you to succeed as long as I am alive." he spat out.

Sedaris grinned again, "I have an army. What could one man possible do against what I have to dish out?"

"One man can make all the difference, you psychotic blue bitch." Jason said leaning on the desk.

The head of Eclipse laughed, "I'll enjoy watching you die, you vigilante fuck."

"Funny, I was going to say the same to you." the soldier replied.

"You won't get the chance, Maverick." said Sedaris, bringing up her omni-tool. "See you in hell." he pressed a button on the device and loud beeping echoed through the whole warehouse.

"SHIT!" Jason shouted before activating his armor mode and throwing himself out of the office window just as the entire building went up in a massive explosion.

The dust cleared several minutes later revealing a large pile of rubble where the structure once stood. A black and silver gauntlet burst from the pile just as Jason pulled himself out of debris.

 **"Suit Damage Detected. Commencing System Repair."**

"You better work while on the move SECOND, we don't have a lot of time." Jason said heading toward where he parked the skycar, activating his omni-tool along the way.

X

Sedaris smirked, the was no way the vigilante could have survived the blast. It was only a shame that she couldn't tear his bones out one by one herself.

Pressing her comm-link, she gave the order. "We're moving ahead of schedule. Execute."

X

Chellick looked down as he heard his omni-tool, "Chellick here."

 _"It's me, the place was a trap! Sedaris changed her plans, they've got you guys surrounded on all sides and their already within the Citadel Tower!"_ Jason shouted over the line in his filtered voice.

"What? How did-"

 _"No time! They've got the service tunnels and the lifts within the tower rigged to blow GET YOUR PEOPLE OUT OF THERE!"_

The ground shuddered as the sounds of several explosions echoed throughout the sector.

Service tunnels caved in, trapping and killing several personnel that were inside. The elevators within the Citadel Tower were damaged before freefalling to the ground floor, killing all those who were unfortunate to be inside.

When the explosions finally faded, every light throughout the sector flickered and died as the sounds of gunships and shuttles powered up. Coming out of strategically hidden locations and headed in their direction.

Chellick gripped his assault rifle as they scrambled to help the wounded and prepare for the attack. Time was up.

X

Jason pushed the skycar as fast as it could go. Dodging and weaving in and out of traffic in an attempt to reach the Presidium. From his position, he watched all of the lights for that section of the Citadel shutdown as the sounds of gunfire started up close to the base of the central tower.

The attack had begun, and he needed to hurry and but a stop to it before things got a lot worse.

 ** _A/N: The Eclipse have changed their plans, and have launched their full-scale assault on the Presidium. Can Jason help C-Sec take it back?...that question was of course rhetorical. He's gonna rip their asses apart._**

 ** _Review and I'll have another update up and running by tomorrow. Till then folks!_**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: As promised, got the newest installment ready to rock and roll. And with the beginning of a small war for the Citadel Presidium, it's bound to be one hell of a showstopper.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

The Presidium was in complete chaos. Gunfire and explosions ripped through the air as C-Sec and the Eclipse fought in urban warfare throughout the entire sector.

With the power down no one could get inside the the Citadel Tower to learn of the situation with the council and ambassadors that were trapped inside. Their only protection being two squads of C-Sec officers and a handful of Spectres that had been called back due to the threat of an attack.

Several gunships flew through the air raining heavy machine gun fire and rockets down onto the combatants below while dropships kept depositing more mercs at key locations.

Contact with the Citadel fleet was useless. Until someone could reach the communications control center within the tower they had no idea what was going on in the station. And every time someone attempted to enter the tower they were gunned down by mercs that had already managed to get inside undetected and gotten a foothold.

The rest of the Citadel saw and heard the fighting going on. News networks were reporting about the attack non-stop while people all over the station were infront of a terminal or on their omni-tools, praying that the fighting would soon come to an end and the Eclipse were stopped.

X

Chellick dropped another merc before going back into cover to let his overheated assault rifle to cool down. Garrus fired two shots with his sniper rifle before doing the same. "They're all over the sector! The comm channels are so chaotic no one knows what to do!" he shouted before drawing a pistol and shooting another merc that was trying to flank them.

"We need a plan. They'll overwhelm us sooner or later." said Chellick standing back up and firing a volley of rounds at a group of LOKI mechs that were closing in on them.

A C-Sec officer next to them went down with several bullet wounds in his chest. "SHIT!" Chellick shouted crawling over to the downed man. "He's dead, dammit!" He lept up and took down the merc that killed the officer.

Garrus aimed down the scope of his sniper rifle and sighted a merc with his own rifle on the edge of a rooftop. The Turian squeezed the trigger and the merc's head exploded in a bloody mist before collapsing off of the roof.

 _"This is Executor Pallin, any and all C-Sec officers not defending key locations are to pull back to the randevous point outside the Citadel Tower."_ the Executor said over the comms.

"What good will that do? We can't get inside with those assholes in there." said an officer, firing his shotgun over the low wall he was behind.

"No, but that's a damn good plan." said Garrus getting everyone's attention. "If we can retake the tower and get to the control room, the fleet can move in and help us with these bastards." he explained.

"It is a good plan, but how the hell are we going to get inside the tower with the power out for the whole sector?" asked one of the other officers with them.

"The tower runs off of it's own personal power conduit. But we'd have to take the stairs since the elevators inside were all destroyed." said Chellick as he took down another LOKI mech.

Garrus nodded, "We got a plan, now all we have to-GUNSHIP!" he shouted as the arial unit hovered in the air and began firing on them. "Get inside now!" Garrus ordered as they all ran for cover in a nearby store.

One officer was cut down brutally in the hail of gunfire behind them before he could make the door. "FUCK!" shouted another slumping down behind the counter. "We're fucked guys. They got air units, ground units, mechs. We're totally and utterly fucked!"

"Shut the FUCK UP!" Chellick roared silencing all seven officers around him. "We are Citadel Security. It's our Spirits-damned job to make sure this station is safe for the innocent. I don't care if they got a fucking Dreadnaught barring down on us, I will _not_ just roll over and die like that."

The room fell silent, the distant sounds of combat from outside filled the air. "He's right." said Garrus finally. "Like it or not. It's our job to ensure the safety of the public. And we're going to see this through to the end."

Before anything else could be said, Chellick's omni-tool started ringing. "Yeah?" he asked answering it.

 _"It's me. What's the situation on the ground?"_ came Maverick's filtered voice shocking everyone.

"Hell. Eclipse got us boxed in all over the sector. Backups coming in from other departments across the Citadel but it'll take time for them to get here." replied Chellick.

 _"And the tower?"_

"Mercs managed to get inside before the explosives went off and we can't get in. He haven't received word on the councilors or ambassadors, they must be maintaining radio silence with what resistance they have with them inside." said the detective.

The other end of the call was silent for a moment, _"You guys have a plan of attack down there?"_

"We need to retake the tower and get to the control room, contacting the fleet is the only way for us to get the manpower and firepower we need to take back the sector." said Chellick.

 _"I'm enroute and I'll be coming in hard. Meet me at the base of the tower. We'll take these bastards down."_ the call ended. Chellick looked up at all of the shocked and confused faces looking at him.

"Maverick was the one who gave me the intel on the attack. He's been trying to stop this from happening this whole time."

"Then what the hell happened?" asked one of the officers as he kept his eyes trained outside the store for hostiles.

"He's never failed yet, something must have changed. If he's coming here then we're getting one hell of an ally." said Chellick as they slipped out the back of the shop and began to make their way toward the Citadel tower.

"How can you trust him so easily? What makes you think he'll even help us at all?" asked Garrus stiffly.

Chellick shot him a look, "I just do. And so should you. This whole time we've been running around trying to catch him, he's been doing everything he can to figure out what the mercs had been up to and protecting the people of the station."

"We should have looked harder in what he was up to instead of the way he went about doing it. Now look around." the Turian said motioning to all the destruction. "Now we're paying the price for not investigating what we should have been."

He looked at the officers and gripped his rifle, "And I don't know about you guys, but given what he's done so far I do trust him. And right now we need all the help we can get."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Enroute to Citadel Tower**

 **November 25, 07:10 hours**

 _ **"**_ **Traffic to and from the Presidium Sector has been terminated with the power outage. C-Sec is suffering casualties all throughout the area with reports of heavy Eclipse units moving in to take further control"** reported SECOND as Jason flew the skycar closer to the Citadel tower.

"And the tower itself? Any radio traffic from inside?" he asked as he entered the darkened skies of the Presidium Commons.

 **"Mercenary units within the tower have not located the councilors or the ambassadors. The guard units protecting the interior are maintaining radio silence to avoid detection."** replied the AI.

In the center of the sector the large tower marking the capital of the Citadel was still lit up. A couple of fires could be seen on a couple of floors, most likely from the fighting that had been taking place inside.

 **"Warning: Hostile Threats Detected."** Jason looked out the side windows and saw two merc gunships moving in to flank him on either side.

"Shit." he muttered pushing the controls and causing the skycar to go into a dive. The two arial units went after him with their weapons firing trying to take him down.

The vehicle swerved left as heavy machine gun fire peppered the side of the building it went around. One of the gunships fired a rocket that the nano soldier had just barely moved the car out of the way of as it detonated against another building blowing several chunks off.

"I can't shake these guys in this thing." Jason muttered trying to stay one step ahead of the mercs trailing him. Activating his visor, he scanned the space between the buildings ahead looking for structural weaknesses that could give him an edge.

A holographic billboard inbetween the buildings ahead was highlighted, the supports for it marked with waypoints, "Oh this is gonna hurt." the nano soldier said jerking the skycar right and smashing into one of the supports and speeding away.

The display buckled before it began to collapse. The lead gunship attempted to steer around it but caught it's left wing and sheared it off the edge of the billboard, the unit spun wildly before hitting the side of one of the buildings and crashing to the ground below.

While the lead gunship crashed, the second managed to get out of the way in time and kept up the chase. It's machine gun powered up and firing on the soldier.

Rounds peppered the back of the car causing smoke and a little bit of fire to billow out of the compartment where the engine was housed. "Gotta get out of the air." Jason said looking down toward the ground through the cracked window.

"SECOND, find me a good landing zone." The visor lit up, several units down below were lit up red marking Eclipse, others marked blue for C-Sec personnel. Several blocks away a small group of officers were pinned down by a squad of mercs and two YIMR mechs.

The gunship behind him fired it's machine gun again, hitting the rear end of the skycar causing it to sputter. **"Vehicle Damage Critical."** warned SECOND as a display of the skycar appeared on the HUD with the entire engine section blinking red.

"No other choice then!" Jason shouted over the warning alarms within the car. He shoved the controls forward and had the car go into a nosedive toward the street.

X

Chellick, Garrus and the rest of their group were hunkered down behind a low wall while mercs and YIMR mechs chipped their cover apart with their arsenal. "Any chance we can flank them?" asked Chellick blind firing over his cover.

One of the YIMR mechs opened his rocket launcher arm and fired, blowing a section of wall apart and sending a couple officers flying. The others in their group grabbed the disoriented men and pulled them back into cover before they were ripped apart by gunfire.

Everyone paused when they heard a low screaming noise. Up above, a skycar with it's tail end ablaze with a gunship chasing after it appeared. The vehicle suddenly went into a dive and was aimed straight for the street.

"GET DOWN!" Garrus shouted as the skycar struck the ground where the mercs and mechs were stationed, sending bodys and parts flying in every direction in a blast of flames and debris.

Standing, the C-Sec officers looked at the wreck stunned. "Who the hell would be crazy enough to pull that off?" asked one of the men.

The door to the driver's side dented outward from something hitting it hard from the inside. The officers had their weapons up just incase as the door was kicked right off the car.

They all lowered they're weapons slowly as the armored form of Maverick climbed out of the car with an assault rifle drawn. A merc laying prone on the ground attempted to crawl to a shotgun laying nearby when the vigilante put a round through the back of his helmeted head.

"Nice of you to drop in." said Chellick as the group approached him slowly.

Maverick shrugged, "Looked like you could use a hand." he said in his filtered voice making all of them, save for Chellick and Garrus, shiver at the cold, monotone way it sounded.

Garrus looked up, "They're taken care of, but what about THAT!" he shouted, pointing at the gunship that had been chasing the vigilante as it drew closer with it's weapons powering up.

Maverick slipped his AR over his shoulder before approaching one of the downed YIMRs. Grabbing the mech's machine gun arm and planting a foot on it's back. the vigilante pulled, the sound of metal groaning and crunching could be heard before the arm was ripped from the dead mech's body.

Turning, Maverick hefted the large chaingun in his hands as he aimed at the incoming gunship. Even though the weapon was now seperate from the rest of the unit, it was still able to fire because it possessed it's own small power unit.

Powering it up, the vigilante fired the heavy rounds right into the merc air unit. Tearing through it's armor and shattering the cockpit in seconds, causing it to lose control and crash into the ground in a ball of fire before coming to rest several feet infront of him.

The group of officers looked at the sight slackjawed, "Did anyone else just see that?" asked one of the men, not believing it.

"We all did. Who or what the hell is this guy?" asked another officer, feeling a little nervious being in the same area as the vigilante.

Maverick tossed the now overheated heavy gun aside before approaching the squad. "Where's the rest of C-Sec?" he asked quickly looking around the area.

"The Executor's set up a makeshift command center close to the Citadel tower. He's been trying to find a way inside since the attack started." said Chellick.

The vigilante looked back at him, "Civilians?"

"Escorted out of the area before the attack, or held up in safehouses all across the sector." replied the detective.

The distant sound of a firefight drew they're attention to the south. _"This is Executor Pallin, are there any squads located in the Presidium South?"_ came Pallin's voice over the comm.

"Executor, it's Vakarian. We're in the area what's going on?" asked Garrus.

 _"One of the shelters housing civilians is under attack. The C-Sec personnel in the area are suffering casualties and are requesting back up, can you assist?"_

Maverick brought up his omni-tool and a map of the Presidium Commons. The location of the safehouse highlighted along with the Citadel tower. "You guys head to the tower. I'll give them a hand." he said heading in the direction of the shelter.

"Hold it!" Shouted Garrus making the vigilante pause. "This is strictly a C-Sec matter, and the last time I checked your on the wanted list."

Maverick looked at him, his face unreadable behind his helmet. "I don't take orders from you. And from the looks of things you could use all the help you can get." he said before activating his cloak and vanishing from sight.

Garrus growled and made to go after him when Chellick grabbed his arm. "He's right. They need us at the tower, he can handle the safe house and meet back up with us."

Shrugging out of the grip, Garrus spun on his friend. "How the hell can you trust this man? Do you remember what he's done in the last few months?"

Chellick growled, "Yeah, I do. And so should you. He's trying to help us and all your doing is condeming him. If he was with the mercs he would have dropped that damn skycar on us instead of them."

The other detective didn't have a response to the statement. "Despite what we may have thought in the beginning, he really has tried to do the best for the Citadel. We need to give him this chance. And he's right, we need all the help we can get." said Chellick resting a hand on his shoulder.

After a long moment, Garrus sighed and nodded. "Fine. But when this is all over I'll have a lot of questions for him. And _you_. Don't forget that." he said leering at his fellow Turian.

Chellick nodded back before they all began to head toward the tower.

X

Jason moved quickly along the nearly deserted streets. Taking down any and all mercs in his path as he headed for the safe house. "SECOND, what's the situation in the comm channels?" he asked taking down a Blue Sun sniper on a nearby rooftop.

 **"Casualties reported on both sides. Additional C-Sec units are responding to provide aid. The situation with the Citadel tower remains the same."** replied the AI.

"We have got to get in contact with the fleet. These guys won't last long with the firepower the Eclipse are dishing out." Jason said before tossing a grenade into a nearby store and taking out a small group of mercs that were held up inside.

 **"Communication with Citadel fleet is too distant for current radio transmissions. Access to Citadel Control is the only way to contact the fleet."** the nano soldier cursed mentally as he snuck up behind two Asari mercs that were stationed on the outside of an alley. Stabbing one in the throat before pulling out his Hammer and shooting the other in the head.

The civilian safe house was two blocks away and the sounds of a gun battle could be heard clearly. Jason leapt up onto a neaby building's window ledge, leaping a few more times to get to the roof before running and leaping onto another.

Standing on the edge of a department store's rooftop, the nano soldier observed the situation below;

The remaining C-Sec personnel were holed up inside a fortified building keeping the mercs back, the Eclipse having them outnumbered 3 to 1 at least. The officers only had assault rifles and pistols while the mercs were hitting them with rockets, grenades and heavy weapon fire.

"They won't last long with that much firepower around them." said Jason as he tagged all of the mercs with his visor. There were three squads of seven making 21 total. There were two men with grenade launchers and one with a rocket launcher in each group. He highlighted them as high priority as he drew his bow. **"Tactical Options Available."**

Drawing three explosive arrows, he fired one right into the first group of mercs. The man with the rocket launcher exploded and sent his pals flying back from the blast.

The soldier quickly fired the other two arrows, hitting the heavy armed mercs in the other groups and blowing them apart, at the same time dealing severe collateral damage to the surrounding hostiles. Making a powerful distraction and giving the C-Sec officers valuable time to regroup.

Drawing his AR, he dropped to street level. Forming a small crater in the ground on impact as he opened fire on the now scattered mercs. Several falling dead to the ground before they realized what was happening.

When Jason stopped to vent his weapon the mercs began shooting back. **"Maximum Armor."** The rounds bounced off of the nano suit's hardened weave, the men with grenade launchers fired on him as well, the explosives missing as the nano soldier's quick reflexes ducked and dodged around them as he charged them.

The butt of the AR slammed into the head of the first merc, shattering the visor of his helmet and dropping him. Jason spun on his heel and gunned down a Salarian merc trying to flank him with a tech attack from his omni-tool.

He leaned back as another grenade flew past his face. Jason shouldered the rifle, quickly drew his Hammer and emptied the clip into the grenadier before he could get off another shot.

Reloading, he drew his shotgun and fired in seperate directions as more rounds bounced off of his suit.

 **"Energy Depleted."** Jason looked at the bottom right corner of his HUD and saw the energy meter flashing red at 0%. Cursing, the soldier sprinted out of the way of oncoming fire and into the safehouse where the officers were treating their wounded.

"Holy shit...Maverick?" asked a familiar voice.

Jason looked up and saw Bailey looking back at him wide eyed. "Officer Bailey."he said standing back up as his energy meter refilled.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as the soldier observed the room he was in.

The building was that of a tech shop, C-Sec had built shelters under several buildings within various wards just incase something like this happened.

"Assisting where I can. Pallin called for someone to give you back up." Jason replied. "What's the situation?"

Gunfire chipped away at the windows as they all ducked into cover. "Lost half our group trying to hold this place. Civilians are down below in the shelter. More C-Sec are on the way but we can't hold with what their throwing at us." said Bailey.

Jason peered over the cover. He'd managed to take out over half of the mercs leaving only about 8 firing on them. "How many of you are there?" he asked the veteran officer.

"Only five, three are wounded and being looked after by a few nurses down in the shelter." Bailey replied.

The sound of a dropship made everyone tense up. Outside, a large crate fell from the sky and unfolded into a YIMR mech. "Oh great." muttered Bailey readying his pistol for the next wave.

Jason rested his hand on the older man's shoulder. "You and your men stay down. Protect the civilians and the wounded. I got these guys." he said standing up.

"You can't take these guys alone." said Bailey going to stand with him.

The soldier shook his head and made him sit back down, "Your men and these people need you. I can handle myself." he said, activating his cloak and leaping out the window. The YIMR was firing it's chaingun on the building while the mercs picked up where they left off. One of the mercs hung back and was tapping his earpiece in an attempt to call for backup.

Jason drew his bow again and shot a regular arrow. Piercing the man's throat and dropping him silently, leaving his comrades none the wiser.

While still cloaked, he scooped up a dropped grenade launcher while grabbing a grenade from his pack.

Flanking the mercs' position. He waited for the right moment before throwing the primed explosive at the large mech and knocking it forward a step. He came out of his cloak and emptied the heavy weapon into the Eclipse ranks. Their armor and kinetic barriers unable to stop the explosive rounds as they blew them apart.

The YIMR turned around slowly and swung one of it's massive arms at it's new target. Jason stepped back and activated his cloak. The Mech, unable to locate the nano soldier began firing wildly in all directions in an attempt to hit the invisible target.

An explosion went off against it's back sending it crashing to the ground as Jason reappeared with his bow in hand.

As the large mech struggled to get back up, Jason replaced his bow with his shotgun and walked onto it's back. Putting two blasts into the back of it's head causing it to shudder before shutting down completely.

The whole area was quiet for a few moments before cheers erupted from the shelter. Looking back, Jason saw the C-Sec officers and a few civilians standing by the window and doors having watched the soldier take the mercs apart.

Jason approached the shelter after making sure all his weapons were vented and put away. "Can you hold out until backup gets here?" he asked Bailey.

The veteran officer nodded, "Yeah, thanks to you." He looked at the vigilante, "A lot of people are wrong about you. It takes a lot of guts to come out here and help out like you're doing."

Jason nodded, "Just doing my part, Bailey. C-Sec needs every avaliable hand to stop all of this. And I intend on making sure these assholes pay for what they've done."

Bailey smirked, "Where are you off too now, son?" he asked.

The nano soldier looked off toward the Citadel tower, "I'm going to help the rest of C-Sec take back the tower. And put an end to this madness."he looked back at the large group, his sharp eyes seeing a familiar Asari and her small child watching him with wide eyes. The very same two Asari that he had met his first day on the Citadel.

Everyone looked on as the small Asari slowly approached him, he tiny blue hand grasping his black and silver gauntleted one. "Can you stop this?" she asked quietly.

Jason's larger hand gently closed around the little girls'. "I will, I promise." the group gasped hearing his unfiltered voice, clear as day. Bailey recognized the voice almost immediately,

"Jason?" he asked in a state of shock.

The soldier regarded him for a moment before he turned and began walking away. His cloak activating as he vanished into thin air.

X

 **Chellick**

 **Base of Citadel Tower - Presidium**

 **Novermber 25, 2180 - 08:03 hours**

Chellick looked around him. The makeshift command center Pallin had set up used to be a weapon's shop a few blocks away from the Citadel Tower. The weapons now being used by C-Sec personnel as they fought back against the Eclipse.

The Executor was leaning over a table overlooking a map of the area around the tower as he started planning out how to get a strike team inside without detection.

Garrus went to the roof with a few other snipers and were doing recon while picking off as many mercs as they could find.

So far it was a standstill. With so many units scattered around the sector engaged against Eclipse forces, they didn't have the man power to storm the tower by force. Cruisers were in the air along with a few of their own gunships fighting against the mercs gun and dropships that were patrolling the skies.

"There's a few service tunnels that lead into the basement of the tower." said Pallin highlighting the tunnels. "If we can get a strike team in there and reach the control room, we can get ahold of the fleet to help provide support."

Tela Vasir had been leaning against the wall close by. She'd thrown her hat into the ring and taken down several squads of Eclipse when the attack started. Only three Spectres had managed to get back to help with defending the Presidium. Her two colleagues were still inside the tower, most likely with the council and making sure that they were safe.

"Good plan. But the mercs will have either rigged the tunnels to blow or have them guarded from entry." said the Asari Spectre approaching the table.

"She's right." said Chellick walking up to the table. "We don't have the firepower to just punch through. We need an infiltration team to make us an opening." he said looking over the tunnel.

"Maybe I can help."

Everyone in the room had their weapons up or biotics flaring as Maverick materialized out of the shadows in the corner. "Maverick." Pallin growled keeping his pistol leveled on him. "You've got a lot of nerve to be showing up here."

The vigilante tilted his head slightly. "I'm not the enemy Executor. And I just got done securing the civilian safehouse in the Presidium South, so you have nothing to worry about."

Vasir scoffed, "Likely story. How do we know your not working for the mercs?"

Maverick shot her a look and clenched his fist lightly. "If your striving for a remach _Spectre_ , it'll have to wait until these Eclipse assholes are dealt with." he said coldly making the Asari's eyes narrow.

The officers, save for Chellick, kept their weapons trained on the soldier. "Executor," said one of the techs monitoring radio traffic, "We just got word from the safehouse in the Presidium South. Bailey says Maverick saved them from being overrun and took down all the mercs in the area. Backup just arrived and they say they can hold with no problems now."

Everyone relaxed slightly, some of the personnel lowering their weapons completely. Pallin looked at the vigilante with a calculating expression, "Whose side are you on, Maverick?" he asked keeping his sidearm leveled on his head.

"I don't have a side. I fight to protect those that need protecting." said the vigilante.

The whole room was in a state of silence, many not believing what they were hearing from the man they were told to hunt. Maverick kept his gaze on the Executor through his visor. "The Eclipse need to be stopped. I'm going to make sure they're brought down, whether you like it or not, I'm helping you." he said approaching the table and looking it over.

Pallin lowered his sidearm as the vigilante's omni-tool flared. The tunnel network that went under the tower highlighted, two tunnels in particular lead directly into the basement level of the tower. "These two tunnels lead directly into the tower. Both will be guarded since the mercs have control of the lower levels. They're fighting resistance on the upper floors, if the councilors and the handful of ambassadors are still in once piece they'll be up there."

Vasir approached the table and pointed to a level halfway up the tower. "The council has their own safe room here. Designed to withstand a lot of punishment incase something like this were to happen. They'll be there, along with the other political heads that were inside."

Maverick looked to her before looking back at the map of the tower. "My cloaking ability is undetectable. I can get in and give your people the opening they need." he said to Pallin. "I can also secure the control room and ensure the council is protected."

The Executor cast him a glance, "Can we trust you?" he said dead serious. "We're out of options, the mercs have us outgunned. And without support we can't beat them." he shook his head. "And if they gain control of the stations arms we're in trouble."

Several seconds passed before Maverick deactivated his omni-tool and headed to the door. "Whether you trust me or not doesn't matter. I _will_ make sure you have that opening. When it happens...rain hell on these bastards." he headed out into the hallway, C-Sec officers parting like the red sea as he passed them and made for the exit and stepped out into the alley beyond.

"Your crazy. You do know that right?" The vigilante paused, looking over his shoulder to see Chellick approaching him.

"Too many people have died already. I started this, I'm going to finish it." said Jason with conviction.

The Turian nodded, "Good luck out there."

The nano soldier nodded back before activating his cloak. Chellick shook his head, there had been too much death and destruction in the last two hours. They needed to put a stop to this before things got a lot worse.

He was putting a lot of trust in his Human friend. And Spirits help him if he should happen to fail.

 **A/N: A shaky truce as been made, and the fight for the Citadel is far from over. But it definitely will be one to see.**

 **Next chapter will be up sooner than you think, until then guys!**


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: The battle for the Presidium is gonna start heating up folks. And I'm here to tell you all right now, there has been one HUGE twist I've managed to throw in. And believe me, before this battle is over, all of you will see just what I bring to the table for this story.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Within the service tunnels beneath the Presidium, two Asari Commandos in Eclipse armor patroled the narrow walkways that spead out throughout the entire sector.

"How much longer do you think this is going to take?" asked one with dark-purple skin, a cigarette between her lips as she smoked leasurely.

"However long it needs to." replied her partner, "Gotta give C-Sec credit, they're stubborn. But it won't matter in the long run." the Asari stopped when she didn't get a response from her fellow merc and turned to see that she was gone. Her still lit cigarette laying on the ground where she should have been.

"Anyla?" the Asari called out, her shotgun raised and sweeping as a feeling of unease crawled up her spine.

Something was watching her.

The Commando perked when she heard a soft whistle in the air...one moment before an arrow pierced through her left eye and came out the back of her head in the middle of her crest. The Eclipse sister gave an exhale before collapsing to the floor, dead.

Jason decloaked and stepped out of the shadows with his bow at the ready while he knocked another arrow.

The entrances to most of the service tunnels throughout the sector had been sealed thanks to the mercs' explosives. He had to backtrack several blocks in order to find a still useable service entrance that connected to the main network that would lead under the Citadel tower.

Following the map of the tunnels displayed on his HUD, he kept a sharp eye out for mercs or hidden explosives while taking out any Eclipse he ran across along the way.

With the two Asari out of the way, the nano soldier treaded lightly long the passage. His nano vision active so that he could detect any more mercs in the lowlit environment.

 **"IED Device Located."** SECOND marked a spot on the wall closest to him on his HUD. A small black package that was designed to explode when someone walked past it.

Jason looked around before bringing up his omni-tool and deactivated the explosive quickly before moving on. "Executor, this is Maverick. There are IEDs placed in the tunnels along with patrols. I'm clearing a safe path for your men." he said into his comm.

 _"Right...thanks for that. Just give the direction and I can have a unit follow your path into the tower."_ replied Pallin. He was still very unsure in trusting the vigilante, and Jason couldn't blame him. He was an unknown, and right now the only one that could get them inside.

Keeping low, the soldier continued to move silently through the tunnel until he heard voices around the next corner.

"You really think the cops are dumb enough to come this way?" Jason pressed his back to the wall, pulled out his combat knife and aimed it around the corner to see three mercs standing guard by the door leading into the main service network.

"Probably. But if they try our little _surprise_ will alert us when they get close." said another merc as he checked his shotgun.

Jason leaned back and started to formulate a plan. Using explosives or his guns would alert any other mercs stationed in the tunnels, he needed to do this quietly like before.

 **"Cloak Engaged"** Leaning out of cover, he aimed his bow at the lone light of the smaller tunnel branching off and fired. The light exploded when the arrow went through it, making the three guards jump a little. "What the fuck was that?" said one of them readying his assault rifle.

Now being the only one to see in the dark tunnel, the nano soldier drew back another arrow and fired. The bolt going through the helmet on the merc of the left and dropping him. Before the other two got wise he ran forward with his knife out.

Grabbing the merc that was standing on the right and smashing his head hard against the wall before driving the blade into the throat of the merc that was standing in the middle. Ensuring that both were dead, stipping them of anything useful before reactivating his cloak and going through the door they had been protecting.

The next tunnel was a lot larger. This proved to be bad strategically because it was a higher chance of detection. Keeping his bow out with a fresh arrow ready, Jason kept to the shadows as he trecked in the direction of the Citadel tower.

He froze when he saw a Salarian merc heading in his direction. His motion tracker didn't pick up any other Eclipse in the area as he drew the bow-string back and fired. The lone sentry falling over with the arrow buried in his neck.

Quickly hiding the body, Jason drew another arrow and continued to follow along the tunnel again. _"Jason? It's Chellick. Pallin's started gathering a squad to go down to follow your path. How is everything down there?"_ asked the detective over a private channel.

"Five IED's disabled, six Eclipse dead so far. I'm about halfway to the tower. I'll keep you posted." he replied peering around a corner and seeing two more mercs stationed outside a small access.

 _"Right, just don't do anything too wreckless, will ya? Your on pretty thin ice with everyone up here as it is."_ said Chellick while Jason put his bow away and crept up to the two guards, grabbing them by their necks and crushing them in his grip before they could call for help.

"I got things under control here." replied Jason, dropping the mercs to the ground and moving on.

The soldier kept moving for another ten minutes, disabling four more IEDs that would have caved in the tunnel if activated when he finally reached the end of the tunnel and saw the locked door leading to the basement level to the tower. A squad of five mercs standing outside on guard duty.

"Don't think I can be quiet for this one." he muttered to himself as he tagged the five hostiles. **"Tactical Options Available."** He pulled a grenade from his pack and primed before tossing it within their ranks.

The explosion took out two of them, wounding another while sending the last two crashing into the walls. Jason deactivated his cloak and ran forward drawing his shotgun, quickly putting a round in each merc that was still breathing.

Facing the door, Jason started to hack the holo-lock as he contacted Pallin. "Executor, I've cleared the path to the tower. I'm hacking the door to get into the basement level now."

 _"We've got your location. I'm sending the strike team down to help clear out the basement. They should be there in about 10 minutes."_ replied the Executor.

The doorlock switched to green and slid open as Jason drew his AR, "Can't afford to wait Pallin. I'll soften up the resistance for your team." he said, ending the link before Pallin could reply.

The basement of the Citadel tower was huge, several power conduits and terminals were scattered along the ground and upper floors to help maintain the structures immense power output and data archives. A few mercs moved about the room keeping an eye on things as the soldier slipped into cover behind the nearest power conduit.

He had SECOND do a quick scan of the room to see what he was up against. **"Targets Identified. 2 Designated as Human. 1 Designated as Salarian. 5 Designated LOKI class mechs."**

Jason activated his cloak as he started to move through the room. Three LOKI mechs and the Salarian were on the ground level moving about. The two Humans and the last two LOKIs were on the upper level close to the door leading to the tower's main stairwell. **"Tactical Options Available."**

Sneaking around to the back of the room, he approached the Salarian first. The four mechs around the room were all milling about with pistols in hand and seemed to be on a preprogrammed path which made things a bit easier.

Getting behind his target, Jason wrapped an arm around his neck and snapped it before he could make a sound. "Hostile Detected!" chimmed one of the LOKIs that spotted him at the wrong time as they all opened fire in his direction.

The soldier raised his AR and fired back. The rounds tearing through the Human sized mechs while the two remaining mercs and mechs came down to the bottom level guns blazing as he ducked back into cover. "So much for being quiet." he muttered, venting his rifle.

He leaned out and took down one of the mercs before switching to another piece of cover. Leaning back out and shooting a mech in the head causing it to explode before the body collapsed to the floor in a heap.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** He spun out of cover and flanked the two remaining hostiles. Pulling out his Hammer and shooting one in the head before quickly doing the same to the other before they could turn around.

Switching back to his AR again, the nano soldier headed up the ramp in the middle toward the stairs. All of the lifts were destroyed, but thankfully the stairs were still accessable. The problem was that it was probably the same situation like with the service tunnels.

With his cloak still activated, he slipped into the stairwell and began to make his way up. "Chellick, I've cleared the basement and making my way up the stairwell." he said into his comm while checking corners for any surprises.

 _"Pallin's got a strike team inbound following your path. He was pretty pissed when you said you were going in."_ replied Chellick.

"I don't work for C-Sec. Therefore I don't take orders for him." Jason bit back as he aimed his rifle farther up the stairs. "How's the situation outside?"

 _"Still a bit rough. The mercs started pulling back in some areas, but their focusing most of their air units on the outside of the tower. My guess is they're using everything to keep themselves dug in there."_ said the detective. _"What's your plan now?"_

Jason stopped when the door leading to the ground level suddenly opened and an Asari merc stepped out. When the door shut he decloaked, grabbed the blue woman by the back of the head and smashed her face off of the railing with a resounding crunch before tossing the body down the stairs he just came up.

"I'm going to clear the lobby and give you guys a good foothold. As well as cover from the air units." he said unfazed.

 _"Alright. Me and Garrus are setting up with a couple sniper squads on the other side of the front courtyard. Let me know if you need support."_ said Chellick as the call ended.

Peering out of the stairwell door, the soldier saw the once prestine lobby to the Citadel tower in shambles. Several desks and chairs were scattered everywhere, blood of various colors were on the walls with bullets holes here and there.

Two YIMR mechs stood as sentries inside the front doors. The mercs had set up makeshift barricades with two heavy turrets set up also aimed that way to prevent anyone from getting inside.

Jason tagged ten mercs overall, including the two manning the turrets. All in cover around the large room, half infront of the turret barricades, the other half behind it.

 **"Tactical Options Available."** Weapon held tight, Jason took a deep breath before storming out the door, the rifle registering with short controlled bursts. The mercs were unprepared for an attack from the rear and weren't able to get around their cover in time as the rounds broke their barriers and tore through their armor.

One merc tried to rush him with a bayonet on the end of his Avenger AR, only to get clotheslined before having his face stomped on by the nano soldier's boot.

When both gunners fell dead, Jason quickly jumped onto one and powered it up. The two YIMRs began to turn when the gun battle started only for the turret's heavy rounds to tear through their armor and cause critical damage before turning on the remaining mercs in the room.

One of the turrets rounds managed to blow the head off of one of the large mechs causing it's chest to start beeping loudly. The nano soldier quickly dropped into cover and activated his suit's armor mode as the YIMR detonated. Blowing the front doors of the lobby clean off and utterly destroying nearly half of the room.

The dust slowly settled after a few moments when Jason stood back up, venting his rifle before Chellick shouted over the radio. _"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!"_

"YIMR went critical when I blew it's head off. The room's clear for the time being, but every merc in the tower will have heard the blast, so you guys better get in here and set up fast." said the soldier as he headed back to the stairwell to head farther up.

 _"Copy that..."_ the Turian muttered something about crazy Human bastards before cutting the link. Jason shook his head as he began to ascend the stairs once more.

X

Jona Sedaris observed what was happening from the tower's main security room. A dark sneer on her face as she watched the vigilante decimate her men and making way for C-Sec to move in.

"What's the status on the tower's controls!" she barked.

"Ma'am, the room's locked up tight. Our men are trying to hack it as fast as we can but it'll take more time." said on of the techs.

The Asari growled almost ferally before drawing her pistol and shooting the man in the head, then turning her attention to a now terrified Salarian. "Make sure they get it done and fast! Or you'll be learning to fly you little bastard!" The tech quivered slightly before running off to help hack the door to the control room.

"Ma'am" shouted one of her Asari Lieutenants "We've located the council and some of the remaining ambassadors. Their holed up in a safe room on the 30th floor with several defense and security measures in place. It's locked up tight." she reported.

"Do whatever it takes to break down the door, you have full orders to kill everyone inside. We have to get the tower under our control before they can reach us!" Sedaris ordered before going back to the security feeds.

X

Jason stepped out of the stairwell on the 8th floor, the Human Embassy had been hit hard. Bodies of mercs, security and civilian workers were scattered around making the soldier's blood boil. "These people didn't deserve this." he ground out.

The sound of gunfire caught his attention. Activating his cloak, he moved through the entrance to the floor and into the many offices beyond.

A squad of six Eclipse were locked in an intense gun battle with a handful of survivors that were holed up in a large office at the end of the corridor. Still feeling anger from before. Jason turned his cloak off and approached with his shotgun ready.

 **"Maximum Armor."** The first merc was grabbed from behind and had his back broken over the soldier's knee. The second spun to shoot him with his own shotgun only for Jason to grab the barrel and shove it to the side making him shoot his partner in the side and killing him.

Ripping the weapon from the merc's hands, the nano soldier bashed it against his helmeted head before kicking him violently into the wall next to him.

Rounds bounced off of his suit as he grabbed the next merc by the neck and used him as a shield until the last two mercs' guns overheated. He then threw the now dead body as hard as he could, knocking the two over allowing him to walk up and blast them both in the head with his shotgun.

The survivors had watched the display dumbfounded at the display of strength and power their savior used on the mercs as he apporached them. "Everyone okay?" he asked looking them over.

It was then, that Jason recognized three of the people in the group. People that he'd knew very well from playing the games in his original world.

Captain David Anderson and Admiral Steven Hackett stood tall infront of the survivors, each hefting an assault rifle with their dress blues ruffled and damaged. Among the civilian workers stood Ambassador Udina, who looked at the nano soldier in both fear and calculation.

"Thank you for the assist. We've been trying to get out of here for a while, but they had us boxed in." said Hackett as his rifle finished cooling down.

Jason nodded, "Just doing my job, Admiral."

Anderson looked the soldier up and down a moment, "So your the one everybody on the Citadel has been talking about. Maverick right?"

Nodding again, Jason faced the Captain. "I am. And I'm here to make sure these bastards don't succeed. I cleared the lower floors and C-Sec has established a foothold. You'll be much safer down there with the Eclipse still occupying the upper levels."

Anderson gave a small smile and motioned for the group to fall out. "Hold it." said Udina marching forward and standing infront of the soldier. "I want to know who the hell you are. My office has been receiving calls non-stop for months about you and how the Alliance, and Humanity in general, could be responsible for your actions."

Jason narrowed his eyes behind his visor, he didn't have time for this bullshit. "Incase you haven't noticed _Ambassador_ , there's a battle going on for control of the Citadel. I think your petty bullshit can wait until all the mercs are dead."

Udina bristled, "Now you listen to me!-" the Ambassador was cut off when the nano soldier grabbed him by the front of his suit and hoisted him up to eye level.

"No, _you listen_ Udina. Right now the only thing stopping the mercs from ending your retched life is me. So shut the fuck _up_ , keep your head _down_ , and get the fuck out of here."with that he tossed the man on his ass before turning to the Admiral and Captain who were both trying to hide smirks. "Stay safe. I'll make sure no one follows you."

Hackett nodded, "Good luck, son." he said as they all filed out of the office and into the stairwell.

X

After making sure no mercs would attack the group from behind, Jason continued on toward the 30th floor where the council would be hiding and where most of the mercs would be stationed.

Clearing out several floors along the way, he entered the 18th floor hearing the sounds of a firefight farther in. Entering the large room full of cubicals, the nano soldier saw a lone Turian in black and red armor fighting off several mercs with a shotgun.

Seeing him outnumbered, Jason charged in, assault rifle in hand as he gunned down half of the Eclipse from behind.

With the mercs distracted, the Turian fired into the ones still standing and took them out in the crossfire, leaving the room silent. Jason made sure the mercs were down before turning to the Turian, shocked to see yet another familiar face.

"Thanks for the help. Nihlus Kryik, Special Tactics and Reconissance." said Nihuls venting his overheated shotgun.

Jason shook his head, "Since your a Council Spectre, you most likely know who I am." he said while venting his own weapon.

Nihlus nodded, "The council's been after you a while. And from what I've read, and just witnessed, they have every reason to question you about what you can do. But at the moment we're facing a bit of a problem."

Nodding, the nano soldier turned to the large wall of windows as an Eclipse gunship appeared and powered up it's guns. "GET DOWN!" he shouted as they dove into cover, the windows shattering as the unit's weapons began ripping the place apart.

Jason kept his back pressed to a cubical wall, Nihlus behind the one next to him while they waited for a break in the hail of bullets. "There are several survivors on this floor, I had them hide in the back to avoid being seen. We need to get them out of here." said the Turian Spectre as the rounds tore through everything around them.

"The lower floors are cleared, C-Sec is setting up down there to retake the tower." said Jason, leaning out and tagging the gunship with his visor while taking out his bow and knocking an explosive arrow.

"You think that will be enough?" asked Nihlus looking at the weapons unconvincingly. The nano soldier shot him a look before standing and drawing the string back and letting the arrow fly.

The arrow struck the canopy of the aerial unit and exploded, shattering the canopy and leaving it open for the second arrow that followed to hit the interior. Blowing the cockpit apart and sending the gunship into a tail spin and crashing into the ground below.

Jason folded his bow back up and switched to his assault rifle, looking at the shocked Spectre next to him. "I have to requasition one of those." he said nodding in approval. The two went through the damaged offices and located the survivors. Ambassadors for the Elcor, Volus and Asari were among them as the Spectre and nano soldier escorted them to the safe section of the tower.

After making sure that they were safe, Jason began to ascend back up the stairs. "Where are you heading?" he looked over his shoulder and saw Nihlus approaching him.

"The upper levels. The Citadel fleet is needed to help bring these assholes down, and the council needs to be secured." said the soldier.

The Spectre nodded before racking his shotgun, "Than I'm coming with you. You'll need the backup, and protecting the council is my job." Not wanting to argue with the Turian, Jason motioned with his head to follow as they both started toward the higher floors.

All the while Jason kept asking himself how this day could get any more nostalgic.

X

Sedaris was pissed. Her forces on the lower floors began to stop checking in on squad after another. They were losing ground and fast, and her units all across the Presidium were being called back to the tower to provide assistance, but at the rate things were going they would lose the fight.

 _"Commander, this is Beta squad."_ the Asari pressed her comm.

"This had better be good." she hissed, her biotics flaring a bit.

 _"Ma'am, we've breached the control room. The guards protecting it are dead, but we found something that could give us an edge."_ replied the squad leader.

Sedaris' omni-tool chimmed before displaying an image. A sickening grin spread across her face. "Well, this just might make things work in our favor." she looked at the rest of the men in the security room. "Make sure that anyone that tries to pass here suffers before they die."

The Asari spun on her heel and began to head up to the tower control room. Her mind whirling with a new plan to tip the battle in their favor.

X

The higher the duo climbed the harder the fighting got. The Eclipse had dug in pretty strong on the floors leading to the council's location.

Jason primed a grenade and tossed it over his cover, the following explosion giving him time to leap up with his rifle in hand. **"Maximum Armor."** the LOKI mechs fired on the soldier to no success before he tore into them with his own weapon.

Nihlus blasted a merc with his shotgun before slamming the butt of it into the head of a LOKI mech that got too close causing it to crumple to the floor. "How many more floors before we reach the council's safe room?" asked Jason as he kicked a merc in the chest sending him through a window and plummeting to his doom.

"It should be six floors above us!" shouted Nihlus as a rocket whizzed past his head forcing him into cover.

The merc with the rocket launcher turned to the nano soldier only for a hail of slugs to rip through his kinetic barriers and armor. He fell to the floor dead in moments as he approached and took the launcher from the corpse.

"I'll take that." Jason said as a wall down the nearby corridor blew outward and a YIMR mech stomped it's way toward them. He wasted no time, firing every shot the launcher had left. Each explosive striking the large mech with devastating force, shattering its shields and damaging its armor to the point of disrepair.

The last rocket connected with its chest sending it crashing to the ground before it shutdown completely. The nano soldier tossed the spent launcher aside before making sure his AR was vented

"Nice work." said Nihlus, coming up and standing next to him. "You'd make a damn good Spectre if it wasn't for you being on the wanted list."

Jason shrugged as they started moving again, "Don't really care. I protect the innocent in my own way. And it's worked out pretty well so far."

Nihlus looked back at all of the mercs the soldier had killed in the last few minutes. Part of him was weary for being around 'Maverick' after the things he's heard about him. But after seeing him in action, the Turian agent believed there was much more to the suited Human then what he may have first thought.

He kept a cool head under pressure. Utilized the battlefield to fit his advantage over his enemies. And above all, he kept the safety of innocent bystanders as his main objective over everything else. All of them good qualities for the Spectres.

Leaving the cleared floor, they checked the next two before entering the 27th. This floor was empty as well, but something didn't feel right. Bringing up his omni-tool, Jason saw that this floor lead up to the level where the security station was located. "I smell a trap."

"Agreed." said Nihlus scanning the room carefully. He went to take a step forward but Jason lashed a hand out and stopped him.

 **"Nano Vision Enabled."** the room lit up. But what really stood out were the glowing heat signatures scattered across the floor. **"Multiple IED Devices Located."** said SECOND, tagging every heat signature on the floor.

"This place is rigged to blow. One wrong step and the whole floor goes up." the nano soldier said grimly.

Nihlus looked around the room looking for a way out when he saw the pipes in the ceiling overhead. "If we could grab those pipes we could move across without tripping the explosives." he said pointing the alternate route out.

Jason looked from the pipes to the Turian Spectre, walking over and grabbing him by the back of his armor, "Hey! What are you-" the soldier used his enhanced strength to toss the alien into the air high enough for him to grab onto the pipes above.

Grabbing on and getting a good grip, Nihlus glared down at him. "A little warning would have been nice!" he growled.

Strapping his rifle to his back. Jason bent his knees, using the suit's energy to give him more strength as he leapt from the floor high enough and grabbed onto the pipes as well.

The Spectre looked at him, mouth agape and mandibles flaired. "What in the Spirits are you?" he said wondering how a Human could be capable of such a jump.

"I'm not so sure myself anymore." said Jason as they started to move hand-over-hand across the ceiling over the floor riddled with explosives. They reached halfway when three mercs came out of the door on the opposite end leading out of the room.

The duo froze, they hadn't been noticed yet which gave them an advantage. _**"**_ **Tactical Options Available."** "I got an idea. Move slowly until we are directly over them." the nano soldier whispered when he saw the options laid out by SECOND before informing the Spectre of the best possible one.

Understanding the plan, Nihlus nodded as they moved as quietly as possible over the mercs' location.

Within moments, they hung over the tree unsuspecting Eclipse. "Take the one on the right. I got the two on the left." said Jason as they got ready. Gripping the pipe tight in one hand, the nano soldier held up his other and counted down from three; when the last finger fell the two dropped.

Jason's heavy boots slammed down on one of the mercs and crushing him to the floor with multiple loud cracks. He quickly lashed out and wrapped his arm around the second's neck and twisted his arms, braking said neck before the man registered what happened.

Nihlus landed on the last merc. Sharp talons gouging the man's eyes out before he viciously snapped his neck as well. "We can't leave the explosives active, C-Sec will be slaughtered if they come through here." said the Spectre wiping the blood off his talons.

Scanning the dead mercs' omni-tools, Jason found that the mercs controlled the security room on the next floor. "They have the security room. The deactivation code for the explosives is in the possession of one of the Lieutenants there." he said drawing his shotgun.

As they moved, he got on the comm immediately. "Chellick, the 27th floor is covered in IEDs. I'm working with a Spectre to deactivate them. Don't let any squads up here until they're down."

 _"I'll do what I can. We've secured most of the floors you've passed already. But the Executor's desperate to get men to the 30th and 40th floors to secure the council and the control room."_ replied the detective.

"Then we'll work fast." said Jason as he and Nihlus ran up a small flight of stairs and entered the next floor.

The 28th floor was completely dedicated to the security force of the tower. Multiple checkpoints were set up leading to a long corridor that lead to the op center where the camera feeds were set up.

It was then an alarm sounded. Several LOKI mechs activated and unfolded themselves while automated turrets came out of the walls and ceiling. "Shit!" Nihlus shouted as they got behind a couple of desks when rounds flew around them. "They've reset the security system to attack anything that enters!"

Jason peered around his cover and saw one of the turrets close by on the wall. He ducked back when the stationary gun spotted him and fired. "SECOND, can you hack into the turrets and reset them to attack the mechs?" he whispered into his helmet.

 **"Affermative. Direct Interface is Required."** replied the AI.

"Nihlus cover me, I got an idea." he said over the gunfire. **"Maximum Armor."** he bolted from cover, rounds bouncing off of his suit as he ran toward the closest turret.

Behind him, the Turian Spectre fired his shotgun. Taking down two mechs and drawing the fire from the others while the soldier reached his target.

Jason's energy meter was less then half when he got to the turret. Hands ripping it from the wall before bringing up his omni-tool. **"Accessing...Hacking Initciated."** The other turrets stopped firing and spuddered a little. **"Connection Established. Security Protocols Rewritten."** The turrets aimed at the mechs. **"Turrets Online."**

The LOKIs never stood a chance as the rewired turrets tore them down, deactivating shortly after they were all destroyed.

"That was some quick thinking." said Nihlus, applying a little medi-gel to a small wound in his shoulder. "Reckless, but effective."

Nodding, the nano soldier led them both down the corridor toward the op center. Stacking up by the locked door, Nihlus began hacking it while Jason primed two flashbangs. When the lock turned green and the door slid open, he tossed the grenades inside.

When they detonated, Jason and Nihlus stormed the room. The five mercs inside, disoriented from the flashbangs, never saw them coming before they were cut down.

Jason quickly went through each of their omni-tools and found the deactivation code for the IEDs on the previous floor. A few keystrokes later and the floor was safe again. "Chellick, IEDs are offline." he reported.

Nihlus looked at each of the terminal screens, a few were black meaning the cameras were either destroyed or offline. The ones that were still active showed C-Sec moving up from the lower floors and the firefights still continuing on the upper ones.

"That's the council's safe room." said the Spectre pointing to a screen that showed a heavily reinforced door with several turrets on the walls, ceiling and floor firing at a large squad of Eclipse and mechs as they tried to get close enough to breach it.

"Looks like they're safe, for now." said the nano soldier as he looked at the other screens. He paused when his eyes caught onto one in particular. "...No..."

X

In the control room, Sedaris walked past the dead bodies of the tower guards, operators and her own men as he approached Beta squad who was holding someone to a chair with a gun to their head.

"Well, well. Isn't this a nice surprise." the sadistic Asari sneered at the captive.

Councilor Tevos looked up at the Eclipse leader. A bruise on her right cheek and purple blood dripping from a cut on her lip. "You won't get away with this." she said in defiance. "The Citadel will not fall to the likes of you, Jona Sedaris."

Sedaris smirked before punching the other Asari across the face, causing her to spit blood onto the floor. "Shut the fuck up, _councilor_. Your political power won't save you now." she approached the main control console, shoving the dead body of an Asari tech off of it and pushed a few keys.

X

The whole Citadel shuddered as the five large arms that made up it's size began to slowly close.

The fleet, who had been unaware of what was happening inside. Attempted to turn around to avoid the arms locking them out, but found themselves looking at the now closed off station. All attemps at radio contact ending in failure as the Captains tried to figure out what to do and what was happening inside.

X

Sedaris turned back to the Asari councilor, grinning maniacally. "The Eclipse are in control now."

 **A/N: The Eclipse may have taken the tower, and a councilor, but Jason's not close to being done. And remember what I said before about a big twist? That's coming in the next chapter, and believe me, you don't wanna miss it!**


	14. Chapter 13

_**A/N: As promised, here is the installment I've been preparing for all of you. Now, there has been a lot of speculation on what the 'twist' I've put in could be, and they're going to be put to rest here an now.**_

 _ **Subtle changes are about to go out the window here, so be ready for it.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Security Op Center - Citadel Tower**

 **November 25, 2180 - 09:11 hours.**

Jason was pissed...no, pissed didn't quite cover it.

The fucking Eclipse had gained control of the Citadel via the tower. And now they had one of the councilors held hostage. "What the hell was she doing there in the first place?" he asked looking at Nihlus.

The Spectre looked to the soldier, "Most likely to contact the fleet. But the mercs must have boxed her in along with the ones running the control room." he rubbed his eyes and sighed, "We have to get to her before they kill her. But we also have to secure the rest of the council before the mercs trying to break into the saferoom actually succeed."

A second later, a large squad of C-Sec officers stormed the op center, guns ready only to lower them when they got a good look inside. Chellick led them as they spread out around the room. "We saw your handy work on the way up. Thanks for clearing the way." he said approaching the two.

"We've got a bigger problem." said Jason, pointing to the camera footage showing Tevos strapped to a chair surrounded by Eclipse.

"That's not all." said Chellick bringing up his omni-tool, "Other C-Sec stations across the Citadel are reporting panic throughout the wards. With the arms closed people think there's a crisis occurring, and they're right."

The nano soldier looked over the screens again, mainly the ones for the hallway outside the council safe room and the control room. "We need to split up. One take the mercs outside the safe room, the other the ones holding the Asari councilor."

"We can't have a squad storm the control room, the councilor could be killed in the crossfire." said Nihlus.

"That's why your taking the C-Sec officers to help the council. I'll deal with the control room."said Jason, heading for the door.

"Alone? You can't be serious." said the Spectre following after him.

The nano soldier turned back to him, "No other options. Like you said, a group moving in could cause more harm than good. I can go in silently and secure the area, take out the mercs and extract the councilor before things get out of hand. On top of that, I might be able to access the control panel and get the arms open so we can contact the fleet."

"They'll have an army between here and there." said Chellick wondering if his Human friend was biting off more than he could chew.

"That's never stopped me before." replied Jason before heading out the door.

Nihlus watched the man leave before turning to the C-Sec personnel to start planning their attack for the 30th floor.

X

Jason moved up to the next floor and saw it mostly empty. A handful of mercs patrolling through the halls and cubicals, but none of them saw the shimmer in the air that slipped inside via the stairwell.

The balcony on the outside of the level had three gunships stationed with several guards moving about.

Ducking down behind a wall, the soldier peered out and zoomed his visor in so that he could see better. Six targets total, all mercs with assault rifles, widely spaced apart to cover the space between the three gunships. Add in the mercs inside equaled 12 total.

 **"Tactical Options Available."** Jason tagged each merc and started to plan his attack. Going all out would alert the mercs outside and they would get into the gunships and use them. He needed to take out the ones inside quietly before moving onto the ones on the balcony.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** drawing his knife, he waited for one of the mercs to walk past before pulling him down to the floor and slashing his throat while the others were distracted. Drawing his bow next, he knocked an arrow and aimed at one of the guards farthest away before firing.

The merc went down with a light thud which caught the attention of one of the others who moved to investigate. Jason pulled another arrow and sighted the still moving Eclipse before firing.

When that merc went down with an arrow through his helmet, he folded up his bow and took his knife out again before creeping along the walls toward a merc sitting on a desk having a cigarette. When he breathed out his last puff, Jason grabbed his head and bent him backwards on the desk before burrowing the blade into his throat.

Hiding the body, the nano soldier looked to the last two mercs inside which were standing on the inside of the opening leading to the balcony. Neither of them having seen their comrades being taken out.

"No playing quiet with this one." he muttered as he moved around the room until he was standing infront of a desk that was infront of where they were standing.

Drawing his AR, Jason deactivated his cloak making the mercs jump. "What the-!" The soldier kicked the desk as hard as he could. The force ripping it from the floor and sending it flying through the air and colliding with the two guards and sending them smashing through the large window leading to the balcony.

The six mercs on the balcony spun around weapons ready from the attack in time to see Jason charge through the shattered window gun blazing as he began to cut them down one by one.

 **"Weapon Overheated."** the nano soldier vented the rifle when the third merc fell, grabbing one of the remaining guards by the neck and throwing him into another, sending both falling over the railing around the balcony. The last merc made a run for one of the gunships, but barely made five steps before an arrow burst out of his chest.

Jason lowered his bow and put it away before picking up the assault rifle and reloading. "Chellick, Nihlus, got three gunships up here on the next level, ready to use." he said walking toward one of the units.

 _"The guys fighting the Eclipse on the ground are still getting hammered by those things. Taking them out would probably even the odds a little better." replied Chellick._

Opening the canopy of one of the gunships, Jason climbed inside and began powering it up. "I've got a better idea." His HUD displayed the readout of the ship along with the controls, **"Connection Estabished."** Grabbing the controls, the nano soldier felt the gunship hover above the ground before taking to the air.

Turning it around, he activated the weapons system and targeted the two remaining units. Two rockets flared to life before launching forward hitting the gunships causing both to explode on contact. "Chellick, two of the ships are down."

 _"Do I even want to know about the third?"_ asked the detective.

"I'm sitting in it." Jason said smirking under his helmet as he began to fly around the tower. "I'm going to try and soften these guys up for you on my way up. I'm sending the ship's IFF to you guys so you don't shoot me down by mistake."

 _"Gotcha. Nihlus is already moving up the tower with seveal squads of officers. They've encountered resistance on the 29th floor."_

The nano soldier had the gunship raise higher and saw the firefight between C-Sec and the Eclipse. SECOND linked the nano suit's visor with the ships targeting system allowing Jason to tag the mercs as hostile and the officers as friendlies before squeezing the trigger on the controls before him.

The ship's chainguns roared to life, the heavy rounds shattering the window and ripping though the mercs' ranks, giving C-Sec time to mop up the rest of them. _"Thanks for the assist, Maverick."_ said Nihlus giving him a wave from within the floor.

 **"Hostile Aerial Unit Detected."** The warning system in the ship blared as Jason pitched the gunship to the side. A rocket flew past just barely skimming the armor before blowing up on the side of the tower.

Turning around, the nano soldier sighted another gunship barring down on him with it's guns blazing. The soldier pitched the ship right avoiding the oncoming fire before targeting the other unit.

A volley of rockets flew from under the gunships wings and landing direct hits on the enemy ship, blowing it apart in the air and giving Jason a clear view of two more Eclipse gunships approaching. **"Hostile Aerial Units Detected."**

"Yeah, I got it." Jason mumbled before firing the ship's chaingun into the oncoming units. Firing the last of his rockets and taking down one of the ships as the second one got within range and fired on him.

The rounds peppered the gunship causing a bit of damage before the soldier could get out of the way in time. Jason fired back as the two gunships circled one another trying to get an opening on each other. "SECOND, I need a weakness." said Jason as he fired on the enemy ship.

A blueprint of the gunship appeared on his HUD and several points were highlighted signifying structural weakness. **"Weakness detected."** said the AI as one in particular was displayed.

The nano soldier pulled the trigger as the enemy gunship attempted to fly out of range, the chaingun rounds piercing the spot just below the engine on it's side. The unit sputtered, spewing fire out of it's damaged engine.

Firing another salvo of rounds, Jason watched the enemy unit stall in mid air before plummeting to the ground in a deadly spiral. "Let's see if that doesn't give us an edge." said the soldier as he began to ascend the tower.

X

Within the control room, Sedaris observed the panic that was occurring throughout various wards in the station before turning to the bound Asari councilor. "It's amusing to see people so easily terrified when faced with an unknown situation." she said grinning.

"Those people didn't deserve this!" shouted Tevos. "Why in the Goddess are you doing this? Why did you attack the Presidium?"

"Simple really." said the leader of Eclipse motioning around her, "You councilors think you can police the whole traverse with your laws and morals. You send your Spectres out into jurisdictions that are not your own to complete missions on your behalf."

The Asari's face morphed into one of sadism. "This station once belonged to us, to the Asari. It was our discovery that our ancestors was foolish enough to share with the undeserving, and look at how it has easily fallen."

Sedaris grinned even wider, "And here we are. The Citadel is now in Eclipse's hands and there is nothing any of you assholes can do about it." she hit a few buttons on the control panel as one of his subordinates activated her omni-tool. "Now, it's time to send that message to everyone."

X

Back in the Op Center, Chellick and the other officers stationed there all perked up when all of the screens in the room were suddenly covered in static before clearing up. Revealing the sadistic, grinning face of Jona Sedaris leering back from inside the control room.

 _"Greetings, worms. We are currently broadcasting live from within the control center of the Citadel Tower. I suppose you're all wondering about how the arms of the station have closed? That was us. The council is no longer in control, we, the Eclipse, have taken control of the tower and are now running the show."_

"Sir! This is being broadcasted all around the Citadel!" shouted one of the techs.

"Fuck!" said Chellick getting on his comm, "Maverick, Sedaris' broadcasting a video message all across the station. And since they have one of the councilors in their custody, we both know what might happen and soon."

X

Jason finished killing the last of the mercs on the 35th floor with the gunship's chainguns while he had SECOND hack the broadcast and put it on a small screen on his HUD while it continued to transmit throughout the station.

 _"For too long the council has believed that they could force their laws and regulations on those who are not under their control. Now we will show them what happens to anyone that tries."_ Sedaris continued, stepping aside and revealing the bound form of councilor Tevos.

The hull of the gunship shuddered as a dropship flew past with a stationary gun firing on him from the troop compartment. **"Weapons System Offline."** said SECOND as several lights on the gunships control started blinking red.

"Shit. Gotta get to the councilor before it's too late." Jason gritted out before hitting the ships thrusters and getting to a safe distance as the dropship gave chase. A new plan forming in the back of his mind as he reached his target.

X

On the 30th floor, Nihlus and the C-Sec personnel with him finished off the last of the mercs attempting to break into the council's safe room as the broadcast continued.

 _"While the rest of the council cowers in fear, their colleague is in our custody. And it is through her that we will send a statement to everyone in the traverse what happens when you fuck with the Eclipse!"_ The deranged Asari pulled out his sidearm and approached the struggling councilor.

The Turian Spectre was moving in seconds, shouting orders for the C-Sec officers to hold their position no matter what while he entered the stairwell and began ascending two/three steps at a time.

X

Sedaris pressed the barrel of his pistol against Tevos' forehead. The other Asari glared back, defiant even in the face of her demise. "This, will mark the beginning of the end of the council." the leader of the Eclipse sneered.

One of the mercs standing guard looked out the main window and recoiled, "Uh...ma'am!" Sedaris glared at the man when she saw the damaged gunship coming straight at the tower.

Tevos saw the incoming threat and used her biotics to put a barrier around herself as the gunship crashed through the large windows and slammed into the ground sending debris and mercs flying in every direction, tearing up most of the floor before coming to rest against the far wall in a crumpled heap.

Small fires flickering along it's form and the floor around it from the damage the crash had caused. The surviving mercs staggered to their feet and approached the gunship with weapons drawn, wondering who would have been crazy enough to crash a ship into the tower.

As they surrounded the wreck, the canopy exploded outward and a hail of gunfire took the mercs down before they had a chance to register what was happening.

From her spot, Tevos' eyes widened as she watched the form of Maverick step out of the downed gunship's cockpit and finish off the few remaining mercs that were still breathing. One came at him with a combat knife only for the vigilante to grab his arm and break it in half like a twig before hurling him into a nearby wall hard enough to leave a dent.

He grabbed the barrel of an assault rifle and ripped it from the shooter's hands before swinging it like a baseball bat and smashing it against his head. Spinning on his heel, he fired the pilfered rifle until it overheated taking down two other mercs in the process.

Unknown to Maverick, the cameras were still broadcasting across the station. Anyone and everyone near a terminal or vid screen watched wide eyed as the vigilante tore through the mercs as though they were insects. Several people cheering the man on as he took control of the situation quickly.

One last merc came at Jason with his combat knife only for said vigiante to grab the outstretced arm in one hand and his throat in the other. Applying pressure, the sound of the merc's armor warping reached his ears before a loud snap followed.

Tossing the body aside, the nano soldier walked over to the still shocked councilor. Taking out his knife and quickly cutting her loose from her binds. "Ma'am, are you alright?" he asked helping her up.

Tevos rubbed her sore wrists as she looked up at the soldier. "Y-Yes. Thank you." she said still not believing that the vigilante that her and the other councilors had been sending people after had saved her life.

Jason nodded. **"Warning. Proximity Alert."** He grabbed the Asari and leapt aside as a hail of gunfire peppered the ground where they had been standing a moment before.

Drawing his Hammer, the nano soldier peered around the overturned desk he and Tevos were behind to see a bloodied Jona Sedaris glaring in their direction with an assault rifle cluched in her hands. "What are you, a fucking cockroach? How many times do I have to kill you before you stay down!" she roared firing at them again while her biotics blazed around her.

The soldier leapt up and fired several rounds forcing the Asari into cover, "It would help if you actually killed me the first time. Your chances aren't good, Sedaris. Your forces are being taken out floor by floor and you've lost what control you've had on the Presidium. Give up while you still have your life." he called out.

Sedaris leaned out and shot at the vigilante. "I'd rather die you filthy fucking Human!" she bellowed before launching a powerful warp.

 _ **"**_ **Maximum Armor."** Jason covered Tevos as the biotic attack blew their cover apart, venting his rifle when . "Stay down, I'll deal with her." He jumped up firing back at the Eclipse leader.

The psychotic Asari rolled out of cover shooting back before she was encased in a field of dark energy and thrown across the room and into the control panel.

Jason looked back at Tevos as she powered down her own biotics. "I am not as helpless as I seem, Maverick." she said raising an eye ridge.

Sedaris got back to her feet with her weapon raised, a shotgun blast shattering her weakened shields. Nihlus stood in the doorway of the floor with the barrel of his shotgun smoking, "It's over, Sedaris!" the Spectre called out.

The Asari glared at his opposition, realizing that she was outnumbered and outgunned.

An engine powering up behind her made Eclipse leader smirk as she dove aside. The dropship with the stationary gun hovered in the air outside the shattered what was left of the window as a volley of heavy rounds tore through the room.

Nihlus dove into cover while Jason stood infront of the Asari councilor, shielding her with his suit's heavy weave protecting both of them from the hail of gunfire as his energy meter dropped like a lead weight.

Sedaris got up and threw a massive shockwave that tore the remnants of the room to pieces before she leapt out of the window and into the troop compartment of the dropship. "TAKE OFF NOW!" she ordered.

Seeing the Asari making a run for it. Jason used the last bit of energy in his suit to sprint across the room and leap out the shattered window, taking out his knife and stabbing it into the roof of the troop transport to hold on just before it zoomed away from the tower.

Getting back to his feet, Nihlus saw Tevos at the controls as she began to start the process of reopening the station. "Citadel Fleet, this is councilor Tevos. The Presidium is currently under seige, C-Sec has taken heavy casualties. We need fire support immediately." she said into the comm when she established a connection.

 _"Councilor, this is Captain Verron. We see the station opening and are making our approach now. Sit tight."_ came the almost immediate reply.

Nihlus looked from the controls to the window Maverick had disappeared through. His prayers going out to the vigilante.

X

Jason held on for dear life as the dropship swerved left and right through the air around the tower. Inside, Sedaris aimed her assault rifle at the ceiling hearing the soldier on the roof. "Shake this fucker off!" swhe shouted to the pilot as the small ship went into a dive.

The nano soldier struggled to hold on, "Alright SECOND, time to see if those new upgrades actually work." he said activating something new.

 **"Magnetic Boots Engaged."** He began to stand up slowly as the powerful magnets in the soles of his suit's boots that he had worked on with the AI stuck to the roof of the dropship. Allowing him to pull his knife free and resheath it as he stood upright.

One of the doors to the troop compartment opened and an Asari merc leaned out with a shotgun, attempting to get a lock on him.

Jason kicked the weapon out of the blue woman's hands before grabbing the front of her armor and throwing her off the ship. "Gotta bring this thing down." he said as he spun around and grabbed the edge of the dropship. Flipping himself inside feet first and kicking both the gunner and another merc out of the other opened door and into the open air outside.

A biotic warp struck him in the chest, the impact and the burning feeling that followed washed over him painfully but he managed to grab the nearby wall to avoid being thrown from the shuttle.

"Why can't you just fucking DIE!" Sedaris screeched, swinging her rifle to bare tried to shoot the soldier.

The weapon was smacked aside, the rounds peppering the metal wall before the Asari was struck in the face by the soldier's fist, dropping the weapon all together.

"It's over, Sedaris!" Jason shouted. The merc leader pulled a long sword from her lower back and swung at the nano soldier. **"Maximum Armor"** the sword's blade struck the hardened weave when Jason brought his arm up to block the strike. A small group of black, hexagon-shaped scales dispersed on contact as the shape blade bounced back.

"The only thing over is your fucking life!" Sedaris shouted as she spun around and went to stab the sword forward, her biotics flared giving her extra strength. Jason sidestepped the attack and drove his elbow into the Asari's face just as the dropship pitched to the side making both combatants stagger.

Distracted, Sedaris couldn't stop the heavy fist from connecting with the side of her head and the knee to her chest that sent her slamming into the wall next to the cockpit's door.

"You've caused the people of the Citadel enough trouble, bitch. This ends now!" Jason roared charging the Eclipse leader.

X

Seveal ships from the Citadel fleet moved in, their weapons firing and taking down the remaining drop and gunships still in the air around the Presidium. Troops were dispatched throughout the sector, aiding C-Sec to help clear out the mercs that were still standing.

Captain Verron stood on the bridge of his cruiser surveying the attack as they began to retake the Presidium. "Sir! We have a rogue dropship flying around close to the tower. IFF marks it as Eclipse." said one of the techs nearby.

The Turian Captain's eyes narrowed, "Take it out. These bastards will pay for their attack on the Citadel."

"Powering up anti-air weapons now sir." said the co-pilot.

X

Jason shook off the biotic-enhanced punch he got to the face and slammed Sedaris into the wall of the troop compartment when the sound that rivaled a thunder clap echoed. The dropship pitched to the side again sending the Asari crashing to the floor and causing the nano soldier to stagger a bit.

Looking out the open doorway, a Turian cruiser that was close to the tower began powering it's anti-aircraft guns again. Getting a lock on the smaller craft.

Another loud boom resounded and the ship shook violently as a round skimmed the small vessle's engine causing it to fail. Shuttering a moment before it started to drop from the sky and toward the ground.

Jason grabbed onto a hand rail as the vessel began to roll out of control in it's decent.

Sedaris did the same, but quickly lost her grip and reached out and latched a hand onto the nano soldier's boot as the ship started to spin out of control, "If I'm going down, I'm taking you with me!" she shouted over all the noise.

Glaring down at the deranged Asari, Jason grabbed his Hammer and aimed it down at her face.

Sedaris had a moment of horror cross her face before her eyes suddenly changed, going from a dark-blue to a glowing-crimson in a blink.

 **"YOU DELAY THE INEVITABLE. THE HARVEST WILL BEGIN SOON."**

The booming voice that echoed from Sedaris' mouth stunned the nano soldier to his core. Everything going on around him faded to white noise in the background as his visor locked with the glowing eyes of the possessed Asari. That's when he connected the dots.

An impossible attack on the Citadel with no chance of success. Blindly going after the council despite heavy losses...even for Sedaris it made no sense...now he understood. And only one name came to mind when he put everything together...

"...Sovereign."

 **"BE WARNED, HYBRID. YOU CANNOT STOP THE CYCLE. YOU WILL WITHER AND DIE LIKE THE COUNTLESS BEFORE YOU."**

Jason snapped back to reality, gritting his teeth and pressing the barrel of his pistol to the possessed woman's forehead. "Not today, you son of a bitch!" The gun fired, Sedaris' forehead blowing inward a split second before her crest exploded outward with purple blood and grey matter spraying the air. Her eyes snapped back to their original color just before her body slipping from the nano soldier's boot as it flew out of the doomed shuttle.

Surveying his situation, Jason realized that he didn't have enough time to escape with the ground approaching as fast as it was. He only had one chance to make it through this.

"I hope this fucking works!" he said to himself as the ground drew closer. **"Maximum Arm-"**

The dropship struck the ground and crumpled like a tin can on contact. Sliding for several meters before flipping on it's side and coming to rest in the middle of a street.

X

 **Chellick**

 **Citadel Tower - Presidium**

 **November 25, 2180 - 09:59 hours**

It had taken a good deal of time to finish clearing out the tower and getting many of it's systems back online. The councilors and ambassadors were safe, Nihlus having arrived at the safe room with a bruised, but alive, councilor Tevos just before the fleet's forces moved in to assist.

With the Citadel's forces now in the fight, defeating the remaining Eclipse had been rather easy. The casualties of C-Sec were high, but those men and women died making sure that the Presidium and the Citadel itself didn't fall into the mercs' hands.

Searches for survivors and the dead had already begun. Chellick assisted as well with his fellow officers as they combed over every inch of the tower and the surrounding area.

At the same time he had been looking for Jason. When Nihlus told them that 'Maverick' jumped out of an open window and onto a dropship after Jona Sedaris fled no one had seen him. The detective knew that his Human friend was out there somewhere and did what he could to locate him.

After helping a couple of wounded officers to a medical tent that had been set up, Chellick noticed several people running in one direction. "What's going on?" he asked a passing officer.

"It's Maverick! They found him!" the officer shouted. Chellick was moving as fast as he could. Roughly ten blocks away from the Citadel tower, he saw a large group of people surrounding the wreckage of an Eclipse dropship as five officers went through the wreckage and pulled the large suited form of the vigilante from the twisted metal.

They laid him down on the ground as three EMTs surrounded him and began running their omni-tools over his form. "Four broken ribs, broken left femur, dislocated left shoulder, hairline skull fracture." one of the medics read off getting a diagnosis and becoming more concerned as the list went on.

"His heart's flatlined, we need to get him to the hospital!" shouted another.

The gathered crowd stood on edge as the medics attempted to do what they could for the suited man. Chellick kept his eyes trained on his friend, praying to all the Spirits that he would wake up.

X

 **"...Damage Assessment in Progress..."**

 **"Suit Integrity: 47%."**

 **"Bone and Tissue Damage Detected."**

 **"Heartrate Flatlining."**

 **"Evaluating...Direct Nanite Reconfiguration Required..."**

 _ **"**_ **Nanite Reconfiguration Complete."**

 **"Commencing Suit Repairs and Operator Recovery..."**

 **"..."**

 **"Suit Integrity Increased to: 59%."**

 **"Bone and Tissue Repairs 20% Complete."**

 **"System Rebooting."**

 **"Activating Defibrilators."**

X

Everyone took a step back when Maverick's body suddently jerked. "What the hell was that?" asked one of the EMTs.

The vigilante's body jerked again while the medics scanned him. "That's...impossible." said an Asari medic in shock. "His body and suit are repairing themselves."

The prone form shook one last time before a large intake of breath was heard, Maverick laying still for several moments before he slowly started to sit up.

"Sir, you need to lay down, your injured." said one of the medics trying to make him lay back down.

Jason shrugged them off as he staggered to his feet, ignoring the pain rippling through his body and surveyed everything around him.

All of the C-Sec personnel standing there watched him with wide eyes as he stood tall before them. His red visor looking to each of them before settling on Chellick. "Did we win?" he asked simply.

Chellick smirked, "We did, thanks to you." Jason nodded at his Turian friend, fighting back a groan as his entire body ached.

The nano suit saved his life, and the nanites in his blood were making repairs to the damage done to his body while the suit repaired itself like it usually did. The pain wasn't something new, the soldier had grown used to it back in the Crysis Universe from his various adventures.

A small commotion drew everyone's attention. Executor Pallin approached them with a large squad of armed C-Sec officers. They stopped within the group as Pallin stood before Jason eye to eye. "Maverick." said the Turian.

"Executor." the nano soldier spoke back, getting ready to activate his cloak and make an escape despite his injuries.

"I should arrest you right here and now. You're still on the wanted lists for your acts as a vigilante." Pallin gave the Turian equivalent of a smirk, "But seeing you stick your neck on the line for not only my men, but the ambassadors and the council as well, you've given me a lot to rethink about."

Jason smirked under his helmet, "I know you and the council don't agree with my methods. But I needed to act quickly in order to save as many lives as I could."

Pallin nodded before realizing something. "The data detective Chellick found...your the one that left it for us to find weren't you?"

The crowd's eyes looked from the Executor to the vigilante in shock as he nodded, "I discovered the secrets to their plans. And I made sure that you all were prepared for the worst if I couldn't stop it in time."

The Executor nodded back, "As much as I hate to say it, if it wasn't for your crusade against the Eclipse, things could have turned out a lot worse." he held out his hand to the vigilante. Jason regarded it before shaking the man's hand. "Thank you."

"My pleasure, Executor. I'll always be there to help C-Sec if they ever should need it."

"I'll speak to the council. And I'm pretty sure that a lot of others will as well. I'll make damn sure that this witch hunt against you is put to an end." said Pallin before pointing a taloned finger at the soldier. "Don't make me regret doing this, Maverick."

With a nod, Jason looked off to the side as a flock of news reporters began making their way through the battle scarred Presidium toward the group, all of them firing question after question.

"Executor Pallin! What has happened to the Presidium?"

"Is it true that the Eclipse gained control of the Citadel?"

"What of the council? Do they have anything to say for what has happened here?"

Pallin held up his hands and quieting the group, "Ladies and gentlemen, all of your questions will be answered. But let me assure you that the situation is over and the public is safe." he said loudly with authority.

Emily Wong pushed her way to the front, "Executor Pallin, all of the Citadel witnessed Maverick saving the Asari councilor from execution from the Eclipse leader. Any comments on this?"

"Ask him yourself, he's right over-" Pallin turned around and saw that the viglante was gone. "Where the hell did he go?" he asked all of the officers gathered. But none of them had seen the man disappear.

Chellick shook his head at Jason's theatrics.

X

Reena had been sitting on the couch watching everything unfolding on the news. She was terrified for both Chellick and Jason who both had been in the Presidium fighting the mercs while she worried about them in the safety of the apartment.

She wanted to be out there helping them, she was good with an assault rifle and a pistol. And her hacking skills could have been useful. Yet they took off without her leaving her pissed off and afraid for their well being.

Seeing Jason save the Asari councilor had made her heart nearly stop. And seeing him leap out of the window after the leader of the mercs attacking the tower caused her to pale and wonder if he even survived.

The door to the apartment opened making her jump, spinning around in her seat to see the nano soldier stumbled inside, knocking over a table as he collapsed to the floor. "JASON!" she screamed running over to him. "What's happened? What's wrong?"

"Sh-Shuttle crashed...nanites fixing damage...in a lot of pain." he managed to wheeze out as he attempted to get back to his feet.

The Quarian brought up her omni-tool and applied a good amount of medi-gel to ease whatever pain he may have been in and helped him up. Jason's much larger size making her shutter beneath him, but she managed to keep him steady as they moved slowly to his room. "What do you need? Let me help." she asked.

Jason staggered toward his bed and collapsed onto it. The frame creeking from the weight of the nano suit combined with his own. "Suit's...helping me heal...needs to stay on to...finish." he said groggily as the pain medication from the medi-gel started to kick in.

Reena walked toward him and removed his helmet, setting it aside before putting a pillow under his head. "Then rest. Let your body finish healing. I'll call Chellick and have him come by to make sure everything's alright."

"Thanks...Reena..." the nano soldier's eyes slid closed as he slipped into unconciousness.

The Quarian left the room and shut the door quietly before bringing up her omni-tool and making a call. _"Chellick here."_ came the familiar voice.

"It's me hesh'la." said Reena. "Jason just arrived. We was pretty banged up when he got here."

 _"I know. The EMTs on sight gave a rundown of his injuries. I'm surprised he was even able to stand up, let alone make his way back to your guys' place."_ said the detective.

"He's resting now. His suit's helping him heal. I'm not exactly sure how that's possible, but I'm pretty sure he'll explain everything when he wakes back up. I just thought I'd give you a heads up for when you come here later." said the Quarian.

 _"I'm stopping by after I'm finished up here. The mercs are pretty much all moped up but there's a lot of clean up to do around the Presidium."_ said Chellick.

Reena nodded, "Alright. I called Thrax and had him give me and Jason a week off so that we could all take a breather. And Jason will probably need that time to finish healing. I'll see you when you get here."

 _"See you soon, babe."_ said Chellick ending the call.

Closing her omni-tool, Reena looked back at the closed bedroom door and smiled. His selflessness in trying to save the people of the Citadel had saved them all. And she couldn't have been more proud of her Human friend.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Unknown Location**

 **Unknown Date and Time**

Jason groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Shocked when he realized when he felt no pain at all. Looking around he saw that he was in a familiar metal structure, on a balcony that overlooked the large expanse of blue sky with moving metal buildings in the distance.

"Back here again...this can't be good." he muttered as he stood up.

 **"Not quite, Jason."** he turned and saw the Librarian standing before him.

"Librarian. I haven't heard from you since I was sent to the Crysis Universe." Jason looked around a moment. "Did I die again?"

The Librarian smiled, **"No, you still live. This was my only means of contacting you. Your body is currently healing from the trauma it has sustained from your battle with the mercenaries. Your suit his doing quite well with assisting in the process."**

Jason chuckled, "It really is something else. Gotta give CryNet some credit for it's creation." He turned serious as he regarded the ethreal being. "So why am I here? It must be something important."

The Librarian nodded, **"Indeed, young one. I have watched your progress thus far, and I am impressed with what you have accomplished. My belief in you completing your mission is looking more and more accurate with each passing day."**

"I feel a 'but' coming." Jason commented.

 **"Remember when I told you in the beginning of your journey? About the gifts I bestowed upon you?"** she asked. The soldier nodded thinking back to that moment in time. **"I believe it's about time I explained those gifts to you. And tell you how they will help you complete your goals that much easier."**

The nano soldier had a strong feeling that a lot more was about to be laid upon him.

 ** _A/N: Now, how's that for a twist? I've been planning this alteration in the story for some time, and it will set the ground work for things to come in the near future._**

 ** _I'll keep the updates coming as best I can, considering I may or may not have peeked more than a few interests. Keep the reviews coming folks!_**


	15. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Given the positive waves that came from the last chapter, I decided to get the next one out ahead of schedule. Granted, it'll take me a couple of days to fix up a few more before posting them. But in the end it'll be worth it.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

Jason stood before the Librarian as he waited for her to explain.

It was true that ever since his little 'adventure' had started he had been very curious about several things. But on top of that list was something that hit him close to the end of his time in the Crysis Universe.

Originally, the Nano Suit 2.0 had started to fuse with Alcatraz's body because of the injuries he sustained in the beginning. Something Major Laurence Barnes, AKA Prophet, mentioned about Symbiosis and breaking the link before executing himself.

"These gifts...does it have something to do with the reason why the nano suit hasn't fused itself with my body?" he asked after a little while.

The Libarian smiled and nodded, **"That is one of the benefits to the gifts I gave you. You see, much like the Spartan of my world, your body was suseptable to certain events that would have caused your destruction. When I planted the seeds for your genetic construction I had added something more, something that could only be unlocked when the time was right."**

Jason looked at his hands confused, "Something in my genetics? What is it?"

 **"The suit, as you are aware, is both synthetic and organic in design. it was designed to adapt and evolve for any situation. But the Human body itself could only handle so much stress and trauma."** She held up her hand and a strand of DNA appeared in the center of her palm. **"I added a gene into your DNA code that would allow your body to adapt as well. A form of genetic augmentation for when your destiny revealed itself."**

She seemed troubled for a moment, **"However, even though I was able to activate this gene when I sent you on your journey I could not adapt it to your body without something else. It needed a catalyst to help change you on a cellular level."**

Looking at the DNA strand in shock, Jason looked back to the Librarian when it hit him. "The Ceph nanites...That's how SECOND was able to rewrite them in my body so quickly. The gene you put in me helped move the process along faster."

The Librarian nodded, **"The Cepholapod that injected you with the nanites to destroy your body actually helped kick start the genetic augmentation. I am sure that you started to notice the subtle changes in your body as you progressed."**

Jason took a deep breath, knowing that you were essentially 'grown' and 'mapped out' to be someone you never thought possible was hard to swallow. But this? This was something completely outside his thought process. "What are the benefits to this augmentation? Are there any drawbacks I should be aware of?"

 **"Hightened speed, reflexes and strength. Your mind is able to process information that much quicker than a regular Human mind. Eyesight increased to binocular levels. You are also able to heal from wounds in combat much more quickly with the aid of the nanites in your blood. These are just some of the side effects of the augmentation."** replied the Librarian.

Jason suddently remembered something. Back when he was in the suit cradel within the CELL building so that Gould could take a better look at the suit's underlayer.

 _Flashback_

 _Jason observed Gould and the lone CELL doctor from the suit cradel as they scanned the suit and brought up all the information on the window surrounding the chamber._

 _"My god...this is...this is something else." said the doctor after observing the information displayed after the scans._

 _"What? What is it?" demanded Gould as he walked up next to the doctor and observed the readout of Jason's body from inside the nano suit._

 _"His body is...changing. Muscle mass and bone density increasing. Brainwave patterns shifting. It's almost like the suit itself is causing him to go through some kind of...evolution." said the doctor in awe._

 _Gould looked through the glass at Jason in a state of shock, "Jason, what exactly is happening to you inside that thing?"_

 _Jason looked down at his body encased in the nano suit in wonder and awe. "I'm not sure myself anymore."_

 _Flashback End_

"Now everything makes sense." he muttered coming to the realization that he _had_ started to notice the changes.

 **"And you are right to question about flaws."** said the Librarian. **"Even though you are physically and mentally superior to the rest of Humanity, you are still Human. You can be wounded in battle, you can still be killed if your body suffers enough trauma. I believe you Humans have a saying, 'You are no Superman'."**

Jason chuckled, "Even Superman could be killed, if one was smart enough to know how." he sobered up. "Is there anything else?"

The Librarian nodded, **"There is. Originally I had given you three gifts. The first was unlocking your genetic augmentation before you were ever born. The second was your transportation to the universe containing the Ceholapods and acquiring the suit. Both will aid you greatly on your journey."**

Nodding, the nano soldier regarded the ethreal being more closely, "And the last one?" he asked now very curious.

She smiled, **"I cannot tell you just yet. The time is not right. But it will be something that will change your life more than it already has."**

 _'Cryptic, but not surprising.'_ Jason thought to himself skeptically. "Thank you for telling me this. And I'll be as careful as I can, I won't squander the gifts you have given me." he paused, thinking back to the last minutes of the battle with the Eclipse. "Sedaris...she was indoctrinated by Sovereign, that's why she attacked the Citadel tower." he looked at the Librarian expectantly, "How is this possible?"

The ancient Forerunner nodded, her expression grim, **"I feared such events would transpire. You're presence within this universe has caused a ripple effect."**

"Meaning?" asked the nano soldier.

 **"The world that you believed to be fiction is slowly changing, certain events being altered due to your involvement. How much, I cannot say."** answered the Librarian. **"Be cautious, young one. I fear that the ancient machines know of your arrival, and may be planning accordingly."**

Jason let the new information sink in. If what the Librarian was saying was true, then his arrival in this universe had changed more things than he first realized. If Sovereign is indoctrinating more people to help it besides Saren, then there is no telling how much more difficult things were going to get.

If the Reapers were planning to up their game, then he needed to do the same. And quickly.

 **"Our time in this place as come to an end, you must return to the concious world now."** the Librarian said, breaking the nano soldier from his thoughts, **"Good luck on your mission, Jason."**

With that everything became too bright to see before going completely black.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Jason and Reena's Apartment**

 **November 27, 2180 - 08:41 hours**

Jason groaned as he slowly awoke. Staring at the white ceiling of his room as the memories of everything that happened came back to him. "Never a dull moment." he muttered as he sat up on the edge of his bed.

The nano suit had finished helping the nanites heal his injuries allowing him to take it off. He had just reached the undersuit when his bedroom door opened.

Reena walked in and jumped in surprise seeing him standing there. "Jason! YOUR AWAKE!" she shouted before throwing her arms around him and hugging him as much as her tiny frame could.

A moment later Chellick ran into the room, weapon ready, but quickly lowered it seeing the scene before him. "Welcome back to the land of the living. We were worried about you for quite a while." he said leaning against the door frame.

"Sorry about that, injuries were pretty rough and I needed to heal." said Jason as Reena released him.

The detective straightened. "Reena told me about how your suit was helping you heal from the crash. How is that possible? From what the medics were saying it was something that could have landed you in the hospital for longer than two days."

"Two days?" Jason asked a little surprised. "That's how long I've been out?"

Reena nodded, "Yes. I convinced Thrax to give us a week off on account of the attack on the Presidium. Chellick's been helping C-Sec clean up the mess left behind by the mercs while I've been here watching over you."

Jason smiled at her, "Thank you." he looked back at Chellick. "I owe you an explanation for a lot. I haven't forgotten. Just let met shower and get dressed and I'll tell you both everything."

"Everything?" asked Reena uncertain.

The nano soldier nodded, "Everything. You both are my closest friends. I don't want to keep this from either of you anymore."

Chellick nodded, "We'll be in the living room. Take your time." He and Reena left the room allowing him to get ready. All the while Jason wondered what he was going to say to them.

He knew he just couldn't up and say that he was assigned to save the universe from a race of ancient machines. And the idea of telling them that he's from a completely different world, having been sent through a different one before arriving in this one, sounded even more crazy. But he couldn't keep lying to them.

Reena and Chellick trusted him, and he knew he could trust them...so he needed to reveal the most believeable story to tell them while still keeping the more important things to himself.

15 minutes later, a refreshed Jason walked down the hallway into the living room where his Turian and Quarian friends were waiting for him on the couch. Now ready for what was coming.

Taking a seat in the nearby armchair, he quickly gathered his thoughts as he started to proceed. "A lot of things I'm going to tell you will be hard to believe. But I have a way to help explain it a little better." he started.

"Let me start off by saying that I kept this to myself for a good reason, I didn't want this kind of information to get out. And I needed to know that I could trust you before telling you everything." Jason sighed as he brought up his omni-tool. The vid-screen in the living room lit up revealing a blueprint of the nano suit.

"The armor I wear is known as the Nano Suit 2.0. It's made of an Ionic Electroactive Polymer and a dynamic Faraday anti-EMP mesh that gives the wearer unparalleled protection against radiaition and physical impact. It also gives the one wearing it a huge increase in reflexes and reaction time" he explained.

"Because of it's capabilities, the suit can generate up to 450N of force and can produce up to 10,000Gs of contractile acceleration. Making the wearer stronger and faster than possible."

Reena and Chellick's eyes were wide. "By Keelah...how could something like this be created? Who created it?" asked Reena.

"No one knows for sure. But whoever did was preparing for the worst. The last one to wear it gave it to me when he was dying. Leaving behind a legacy that only I was able to take up." said Jason looking at the readout of the suit with thoughts of Prophet's last moments.

"How does something like this stay powered?" asked Chellick.

"Ths suit is able to absorb any form of energy around it. Refining it and turning it into energy it can use for it's various features. It's also extremely adaptable. Each time the wearer encounters something new in a combat situation, the suit will alter and adapt to ensure combat effectiveness." said Jason. "I fought against Vasir before the attack on the Presidium. She used her biotics to take me down, but the suit isolated the energy being used in the attacks, and now it can defend against the dark energy a lot more effectively now."

"What about the VI in the suit?" asked Reena.

"It's called Semiautonomous Enhanced Combat Ops: Neuro-integration Delivery. SECOND for short." said Jason. "Think of it like a 'dumb' AI, more advanced than certain VIs but not sentient like what others would expect."

His Quarian visbly relaxed in hearing that explination before he continued on, "Now, the suit has many features, some of it's primary ones are Armor, Cloak and Power. Armor enhances the suit's weave making it nearly unpenetrable, though each impact on the suit lowers it's energy. Cloak turns me invisible for a short period of time and I can't be detected by any means. Power enhances my strength to that of Krogan levels or beyond."

"Spirits...anyone could be unstoppable in that thing." Chellick looked at his friend in awe, "How did you get your hands on something like this?"

Jason tensed, he didn't know if they would believe him or not. But he had to try. Bringing up his omni-tool again, a video started playing.

 _The vid-screen was fuzzy at first before revealing images through someone's eyes. The person scooped up a large stationary gun and shot down a strange gunship that was hovering in the air._

 _Tossing the weapon aside, the person walked along what looked like a beach before stopping next to the body of somebody in uniform._

Chellick and Reena gasped when they recognized Jason laying in a bloody heap on the ground. "What your seeing was through Prophet's eyes." said Jason. "He found me dying. He saved me."

 _On screen, Prophet checked over Jason before taking his arms and started dragging him across the ground and into a warehouse. "Vitals...dropping. Have to work...fast." said Prophet as he looked the wounded soldier over. "Your name's Jason, huh? Destiny's a real bitch. It'll be on you now, son."_ _said Prophet as he started to remove the nano suit from himself. "You're my last shot here. Gould's last chance. Last chance for all of us."_

 _"I'm used up, I'm a dead man walking. I'm...contaminated. But you...you can finish this thing...you have to!" Prophet removed his helmet revealing a bald head with a severly scarred and burned face. "Welcome to the future son. Welcome to the war."_

 _Several moments passed before Jason was revealed in the nano suit laying on the floor. Prophet faced the window wearing an undersuit as he continued to speak. "Oh yeah...one last wish...It won't let me go that easily. Symbiosis. Gotta break the link..." he picked up a nearby pistol. "I gave you the suit. Gave you my life. Promise me...Find Gould...It's all I can do now. You are all I can do."_

 _Prophet pressed the gun to his head, "They used to call me Prophet...Remember me." The gun went off and everything went black._

Silence filled the living room. Chellick and Reena didn't know what to say.

"I'm not from this universe." said Jason finally. "That video is dated August 23, 2023. Earth was under attack by an alien species known as the Ceph. They attacked a major city with a biological weapon that killed thousands like nothing. Using the suit, I fought them and the corrupt organization called CELL that wanted the nano suit for their own twisted purposes."

Several clips were revealed showing Jason fighting both the Ceph and CELL forces. His abilities leaving the already impressed couple even more so as he tore through them with precision the likes of which neither of them had seen.

"Fuck..." Chellick muttered watching Jason take down a Ceph Devastator using a well placed explosive and several shotgun blasts.

"Wait a minute." said Reena as the footage stopped. "Prophet said something in the beginning about Symbiosis. What did he mean by that?"

"In essence, it means that the suit fuses to the wearer. Turning them into a living weapon without the need to eat, sleep or any other function. Basically, your trapt in your own personal purgatory." Jason explained.

His friends looked at him in horror, "Then how are you able to remove it?" asked Chellick.

"I'm...unique." Jason said trying to find the right words. "But the suit is locked on my DNA. I'm the only one that can use it so there's no worries about someone just taking it without there being repercussions."

Reena rubbed her head through her veil, "Keelah, I need a drink." she muttered getting up and heading to the kitchen.

"One thing still puzzles me more than anything else you've told us." said Chellick. "If your from another universe...how did you end up here?"

"I haven't been able to explain that." said Jason. "After I stopped the Ceph and saved New York I woke up on Omega. From there I booked passage to the Citadel."

"Waking up on Omega of all places?" The Turian shook his head, "Then again, considering what you had already been through I think you could handle that with no problems." Something occurred to him then, "Wait...if you aren't from here. How is your information in the station's databanks? It's obviously faked."

Jason rubbed the back of his head nerviously, "I...kind of snuck into C-Sec and implanted the information into Pallin's terminal. Having SECOND upload it directly into the Citadel's main archive."

Chellick's mouth hung open, "You snuck into C-Sec? Uploaded the information straight from the Executor's terminal? Then snuck out without being seen at all?" Jason nodded slowly. "Babe! Get me one too!" the Turian called after his Quarian girlfriend.

X

Hours flew by. Chellick and Reena fired question after question at him, what was his universe like before the Ceph attack, his military career, after a while it became less of an interrogation the more time passed.

Jason didn't have the heart to tell them that the Crysis universe wasn't his real universe either. But he didn't want their minds to go into overload then they are ready had at that point. It really was a lot to take in.

After several drinks via straw and emergency induction port, Reena laid passed out on the couch with her head in Chellick's lap while the Turian and nano soldier kept talking. "If the suit is both synthetic and organic design, then wouldn't that make you the same?" asked the detective.

Jason nodded, "I have hundreds, maybe even thousands of nanites in my blood. I'm still Human, just a little bit _more_ than what one would expect."

Chellick shook his head before finishing off the drink in his hand. "I'm never going to doubt you in a combat situation again. After you telling us all that...I can't believe you even trust Xenos with what the Ceph tried to do."

"To be fair, Humanity wasn't very warm and welcoming either. Like I've said before, I trust someone on their character, not their species or culture no matter who or what they are." replied Jason taking a sip of his own drink.

Several moments passed, the only thing that could really be heard was Reena's light snoring. "Your a damn good friend to trust us with this, Jason. Thank you." Chellick said after a while.

Jason smiled at him, "I couldn't keep you guys in the dark any longer. Your the only ones I can really trust with this. I could probably trust Thrax, and maybe Garrus one day, but not right now." he said thinking of the possible future.

Chellick's eyes widened, remembering something. "Oh, I almost forgot. The council is holding a ceremony to honor those who had fought to save the Presidium in a couple of days."

Shrugging, the nano soldier got up to refill his glass. "So?" he asked pouring out the whisky.

"Maverick's being honored too." said the Turian making the Jason pause, looked at him over his shoulder. "I know, I was pretty shocked too. I guess risking your life to save one of the councilors makes you a very important figure in their eyes. Spirits, Pallin's been doing all he could to find you and tell you. The Human ambassador's been sending out squads of Alliance Marines to locate you."

Jason chuckled and shook his head, he was still a wanted man but now for a completely different reason. "Your right, a lot can change saving one important person's life."

A knock at the door made both men pause. "Expecting someone?" asked Chellick readjusting Reena and clicking the safety off his pistol. Jason shook his head as he set his glass down and checked to see who it was.

The soldier was a little surprised to see Bailey on the other side of the door waiting to enter. "It's Bailey." he said shocking the other officer.

Opening the door, Jason greeted his friend with a friendly face. "Bailey, what brings you to my neck of the woods?"

"I was in the neighborehood. Thought I'd come by and check up on you since no one's heard from you in a few days." said the officer. The man's eyes then turned serious, "I also came to tell you that I _know_."

Jason felt his insides tense. "Know what?" he asked playing stupid.

"Don't do that Jason. I know your Maverick. Your unfiltered voice after you saved everyone at the shelter during the Eclipse attack gave me the hint. I've always been good at recognizing voices and faces. That's why I'm with C-Sec." said Bailey.

With a sigh, Jason invited him in. Bailey was a little shocked to see Chellick sitting there. "He and Reena both know too, Bailey. So your not the only one." he said taking up his original seat in the armchair.

The older officer sat down in the other one across from them. "Guess me and Garrus have been left out of the loop huh?"

"The less people that know the better." said Jason motioning to Reena. "Reena figured me out a couple weeks back. Chellick...he was the one I gave the information on the mercs to so you all could prepare for the attack."

He let out a sigh, "I didn't want people to come after you because of your association with me. But I guess right now it can't be helped." The nano soldier looked at the C-Sec officer seriously, "You going to tell your superiors?"

"I was at first. But then I remembered everything you and I talked about when we all first met." Bailey chuckled, "And at the rate, you're going you'll literally 'die a hero' if you don't have a little bit of help every now and again."

"I doubt that." Chellick mumbled into his drink.

Jason shook his head at him before looking at Bailey, "Thanks Bailey. I owe you one."

"No, son. I owe you one. You saved my life, the lives of my men, and the civilians of the shelter despite the odds." he smiled at the younger man. "Your a damn hero in every sense of the word in my books. If there's anything you need, don't hesitate to ask me."

Nodding, Jason suddenly had a thought. "Actually...there is something you can do for me."

X

Executor Pallin rubbed his temples. The aftermath of the Eclipse attack had left a lot to clean up.

The elevators in the Citadel tower had to all be repaired. The service tunnels around the sector needed to be cleared. A good number of his officers and detectives were either hospitalized or KIA and he was having trouble with recruitment. It's been a very stressful 72 hours for the Turian.

A buzzing at his office door made him growl. "Yes?" he gritted out.

The door opened and Bailey walked in. "Am I interrupting something sir?" he asked casually.

"No officer, what is it?" Pallin said with a sigh.

"I was just entering the office when I found this sitting at the front desk." said the officer holding up a datapad. "It's addressed to you, sir." he said handing it over to the Executor.

Pallin read the top line and felt his eyes widen. It was from Maverick. "Thank you officer, I'll take care of this."

Bailey nodded before leaving the room, a hidden smirk on his face as the doors slid shut behind him.

Locking the door, Pallin pressed a button on the datapad as Maverick's filtered voice came from the device;

 _ **"Executor Pallin. I hope all is well with the repairs to the Presidium, I am doing my part to assist as well from the shadows. This message is to inform you that I am aware of you and the Human ambassador looking for me in regards to the ceremony being held by the council."**_

 _ **"This message is to let you know that I will be there. I won't dishonor the council, C-Sec or Humanity by not being there. I also wish to extend my condolences to those officers who gave their lives for the people of the Citadel."**_

 _ **"People call me a hero, but they fail to realize that the true heros of the station are those who gave their all for it."**_

 _ **"You will see me at the ceremony, Executor. Until then, take care."**_

The message stopped after that. Pallin felt a little weight lifted off his shoulders. Ambassador Udina had been hounding him for the last couple of days to locate the vigilante so that they could speak to one another.

The head of the Human Embassy was most likely hoping to get something out of the armored man before the ceremony. Pallin never liked politics, but they made the laws that he was told to enforce and abide by.

Leaning back in his chair, he realized how wrong he had been about Maverick. Despite them hunting him down like a rabid Varren, he still stuck his neck out to protect the Citadel. He was a warrior of his own class and would do whatever it took to ensure the safety of the innocent.

It's men like that, that the Executor wished were in C-Sec. And somewhere deep in his mind, after everything that had happened over the last several months. He knew that if there was anyone on the Citadel that could be counted on in a crisis, it was Maverick.

 ** _A/N: I had been debating on whether or not to let Reena and Chellick in on, at least a bit of, Jason's history for a while now. Having received a good amount of messages from past readers regarding the situation. But in the end, I decided to let them into the know like DFX did in the original version. My reason being that even though Jason can handle his own well enough, he will still need people he can confide in when things get rough. And he can't do that unless people know about what he's been through._**

 ** _On top of that, with the Reapers watching him through Sovereign's actions, he's going to need a lot of back up. And one hell of a good plan._**

 ** _Next update will be within the next few days, so until then keep the reviews coming!_**


	16. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Well, it's been a couple days, and if I am anything I'm punctual when it comes to getting this particular story out in the open. So here it is.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Reena and Jason's Apartment**

 **November, 30, 2180 - 10:32 hours**

It was the day of the ceremony the council was holding, and Jason had spent most of that day monitoring radio traffic to get an understanding of who would be there and what he should be expecting.

He wasn't expecting the whole thing to be some kind of trap. Considering the entire station had seen him save Tevos from execution and wouldn't take such a thing well, but it didn't hurt to play it safe incase other, more unsavory, parties were somehow involved.

At the moment he was standing in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. His nano suit on save for the helmet that was sitting on the table while SECOND continued to go through the chatter found in the comms channels he tapped into.

Telling Reena and Chellick everything had lifted a lot of weight off his shoulders. Even though he had left several parts out of his explanations, such as the information about his real reason for being here, it still felt good to confide in them at last.

"You know this could be a trap right?" Jason looked over at Reena while she sat at the table as well. "Just a way for the council to draw you in and apprehend you." she said.

"Infront of all those news reporters and the countless masses that will be watching at home? Something like that would come back and bite them in the ass politically. Arresting the one that helped saved the Presidium and the lives of one of the councilors would cause backlash in the community and make them lose face to the public." Jason said while finishing his coffee.

Reena shook her head, "It's just too good to be true. They were hunting you like some animal not even a week ago, now their honoring you?"

"They're after something." he said picking up his helmet. "You're right about it being too good to be true, they wouldn't be doing this unless they were hoping to get something in return. And I know for a fact that the Human ambassador will be scouting for me as well for his own gain."

The Quarian gave him a look, "Then why go at all? If you know what to expect, why go through with it?"

Jason slipped the helmet over his head and locked the suit together. "Because they may be honoring me. But I'm going to be honoring the ones who gave their lives for the Citadel. It's the least I could do for them."

Without another word, he activated his cloak and vanished. Reena sighed, "Crazy bosht'et."

X

The Presidium was filled with people, the crowd surrounding the stage and podium was filled with civilians, reporters and elected officials alike. The three councilors stood on the stage in their rightful places preparing to give their speeches and the awards to those who had fought against the Eclipse and saved the Citadel.

Seated on the stage waiting to be called were Executor Pallin, Nihlus, and a couple of C-Sec officials who had fought hard ensuring the safety of the people on the station.

But among those seats was an empty one next to Nihlus. The one that was suppose to seat Maverick. This turn of evernts had caused a small ripple through the crowd. Many wondering where the vigilante was or if he was even going to come at all considering what the council and C-Sec had put him through.

Also in the crowd was Admiral Hackett, Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina. All three men looking for the vigilante as well.

Hackett and Anderson were both very impressed with what the man was able to do and his part in retaking the sector from Eclipse's control. Udina however, was hunting for him for another reason entirely.

Seeing what Maverick had done, and the amount of attention from both the media and the public he had quickly gathered had put the ambassador in a state of wanting to find the man and quickly. Humanity had been striving to get a seat on the council and the respect of the traverse since the end of the First Contact war. But proving their worth to the galaxy at large had been very difficult.

Udina believed that Maverick could become a stepping stone in ensuring that Humanity was seen for what it truely was.

After several more minutes, councilor Tevos stood up and approached the podium. Her injuries having fully healed since the attack.

"Ladies and gentlemen." she spoke silencing the large crowd around them. "We are all gathered here to honor the brave men and women who had fought to ensure the safety of the people here on the Citadel. Through their bravery, their sacrifice, we were able to retake the Presidium and drive the mercenaries from our home."

Tevos motioned her hand to the memorial wall that was close to where the stage was set up where the names of the C-Sec personnel who had died that day had been added the day before. "Their sacrifice will never be forgotten. They will forever be honored as heroes of this station, and remembered for their actions and the lives they saved."

Valern approached the podium next to his colleague, "We are also here, to award those who have gone above and beyond the call of duty. The actions of the brave individuals seated before you saved countless lives that day. Their actions speak highly of their character and their strength."

Sparatus came next, "As councilors of the Citadel, we ourselves are honored to pass these down to the individuals before you. They have shown us what one can truely do in a dire situation. And because of this, we can expect great things from them in the days to come."

One by one the people seated were called up, each one awarded a specific medal signifying their actions, their bravery, and their courage. Each one giving a small speech of thanks to the council and vowing their continued actions to ensure the safety of those they've sworn to protect.

After a long period, they reached the one many of them had been anticipating. "Maverick." said Tevos. The whole crowd was on the edge of their seats. Many having witnessed what he had done to safe the Asari councilor during the attack. Reporters had their omni-tools out and cameras recording.

Everyone looked around, but the vigilante was nowhere to be seen. "You'd think with his punctuality in the field of battle he'd be on time for an aware ceremony." muttered Sparatus.

"I am already here, councilor." came the grave filtered voice of the vigilante as he deactivated his cloak and appeared on the stage.

The audience erupted. Cameras were going off like the fourth of July was going out of style. The news reporters were firing off thousands of questions over the cheers from those behind them.

Tevos raised her hands and the crowd calmed down back to the way they were before. Only now they were watching the vigilante with rapt attention. "We were under the impression that you wouldn't arrive." said Valern.

"I would not dishonor you, or those who are being mentioned today." said the vigilante.

Sparatus' mandibles twitched. He was irritated, knowing that it was this man, the one they had been hoping to capture, had saved them and made it that much more difficult for them to get to him.

Maverick looked in his direction and held his gaze through his visor. The Turian councilor knew a military man when he saw one. The vigilante held himself in a way that proved he had seen a lot of combat and not just from fighting mercs. This man was dangerous, Sparatus could practicially feel it coming off of him in waves.

When everything was settled Tevos brought out the last medal to be awarded and approached the vigilante. "Maverick, despite our early assumptions of you. You risked your life defending the Citadel from the Eclipse's attack. You saved the lives of countless with your actions, my own included. This is to signify your bravery, your strength, and your courage."

Bowing his head down, Maverick felt the Asari councilor slip the medal around his neck as the crowd erupted with cheers. Tevos went to join the rest of the councilors when he suddenly spoke,

"Thank you, Madam Councilor, but I cannot except this."

Everything came to an abrupt hault. People looked at him wide eyed in shock as he removed the medal. "I am very honored to receive such an award for my actions. But this should be given to those who truely deserve it." His visored eyes looked over at the memorial wall. "We Humans once had a saying in our military, 'All gave some, Some gave all'. To me this holds true even now."

He looked out over the gathered audience. "Like C-Sec, I simply did my duty for the sake of the innocent." he pointed at the memorial wall. "But your true heros are the ones who gave their lives to protect you. They sacrificed themselves so that those who live on the Citadel could live another day. Their families grieving their loss while those who are alive could rejoice."

Turning to Pallin, Maverick held out the medal. "Executor Pallin. I offer this, in memorium of the true heros of the Citadel. The brave men and women of the Citadel Security who gave their lives to stop the Eclipse."

Pallin was in a state of slight shock, this was something that he really wasn't expecting. The man who almost single handedly saved the Presidium was refusing acknowledgement and instead giving it to the people under his command. Never had he expected such honor to come from another. Let alone a Human.

The Executor smiled as he excepted the award from the vigilante. "I am honored, Maverick. Thank you."

Several people began clapping, soon the whole crowd was applauding at the show of modesty before them. Hackett and Anderson among them, proud that someone of the vigilante's status would do this. Udina however, was doing his hardest to hide his anger.

Maverick gave a nod to the crowd before taking his seat as the rest of the ceremony came to a close. Even though he wanted to slip away quickly, he thought it best to stick around a little longer to appease a few of the more curious minds.

X

When everything was said and done, Jason barely made it off the stage before he was swarmed by reporters. Questions were coming at him in all directions to the point where if it hadn't been for SECOND he wouldn't be able to figure out what any of them were saying.

Holding up his hands, the group calmed. Some out of intimidation because of the nano soldier's size. "I will answer what questions I can. But only one at a time."

One reporter, an Asari approached first. "Maverick, people across the Citadel are curious about your goals. Why do you do what you do? What drives you?"

"I simply do what I was trained for. Save lives and end conflict. My hands and guns will never be raised to an innocent no matter what the circumstance." he replied honestly.

"Maverick, after the incident here on the Presidium what are your plans now? The Eclipse have been driven from the Citadel and most likely Citadel Space, and with the death of their leader, there is a chance they may never come here again." said a Salarian.

"True. But if I am ever needed for whatever reason I'll be there to help those who need it." he answered.

Another reporter approached, a hovering camera following her. Jason bit back a groan hard as he recognized the familiar woman approaching him. "Maverick, Khalisah Al-Jilani Westerland News. I have several questions for you." she said as her camera came on.

"I will answer them, then." the nano soldier said, hands behind his back in a calm position to keep the coming frusteration in check.

"Many people call you a hero throughout the Citadel. Yet you give away your honor on a whim. Care to explain?"

"I'm simply giving the credit where it is due. There are others out there far more deserving of that honor. I don't need awards and commendations for doing my duty." Jason said preparing for the worst to come.

Al-Jilani typed a few things down in her omni-tool before continuing, "There have been rumors going around that your are a part of some kind of super soldier program designed by the Alliance. Is there any truth to this?"

"I'm afraid not. The Alliance does not commit experiments on people to improve strength. They would rather train people to be the best they can be for the sake of Earth and her colonies, as well as Humanity as a whole." he replied.

"Then you must work for an unknown faction. If that is the case who are they and what are they hoping to achieve." asked the reporter.

"I work alone, ma'am. And I don't hope to 'achieve' anything. Just doing my part to make the galaxy a better place." the nano soldier was starting to get frusterated already. It was only a matter of time before she pushed him over the edge.

"It is said that your armor and it's abilities easily outdate anything already in production. Are you intending on sharing this technology with the rest of Humanity, or are you harboring it all for yourself?"

And there it was, every reporter had their eyes on him expecting a direct answer. He was just about to answer when someone came in and stood next to him, "I'm sorry to interrupt, ladies and gentlemen. But the council has asked for an audience with this man immediately." said Nihlus making Jason let out a breath silently.

With a nod to the flock of people, the vigilante followed the Spectre into the Citadel tower and into one of the recently repaired elevators. "It's good to see the tower back on it's feet after the attack." said Jason as the lift began to rise.

"Indeed. The council wanted everything back to normal as soon as possible. Clean up and repairs were at the top of the list once the injured and dead were accounted for." said Nihlus.

They stood in silence for a few moments. The lift was as slow as just about every other elevator on the station, something that the soldier had been able to force to the back of his mind to avoid being bored.

"What is this meeting about?" he asked after a little while.

"The council didn't say. But from the looks of things it was something very important." replied the Spectre. "And considering your performance during the attack, and at the award ceremony, it could be anything."

The nano soldier shrugged, "Just doing my part. And I think C-Sec deserved most of the credit. I was just the one behind the scenes giving them an edge."

Nihlus chuckled, "Never thought I'd see a Human with such modesty and honor. This whole station sees you as some kind of god among men. Hell, you even managed to pull off what several Spectres were unable to do. Including saving councilor Tevos from public execution."

The elevator stopped at the floor leading to the council chambers as the two stepped out. "Why are people so shocked about this?" Jason asked as they walked through the atrium past several onlookers.

"Considering your species is still relatively young to the universe, you keep surprising us." replied Nihlus. "Seeing a Human with such honor and distinction is definately surprising. Even in our own hierarchy, it is rare to see something like that."

They reached to top of the atrium where Hackett, Anderson and Udina were all waiting. "It's good to see you again, son." said Anderson holding a hand out to the vigilante.

Jason shook the offered hand, being sure not to crush the Captain's limb with his strength. "Likewise Captain. It's good to be introduced when there aren't bullets flying around us."

"That is true." said Anderson chuckling.

Hackett came next, the battle scared Admiral looked exactly like Jason remembered seeing him in the game. Right down to the steely eyes that showed experience and war. "Your one hell of a soldier, Maverick. Ever consider a career in the Alliance?" he asked straight to the point.

"I was a soldier once, Admiral. But at this point in time I prefer the freedom of doing my duty without going through all of the red tape." replied the nano soldier.

Hackett nodded, "I can understand that. Just know that the Alliance, and myself included, are in your debt for what you did. You did Humanity proud."

Jason stood straight and snapped a salute that both Hackett and Anderson returned. "Thank you, sir."

Udina cleared his throat catching their attention. "Considering all that has transpired, it would be best if you followed my lead, Maverick. Political situations such as this reguarding the council are very delicate matters. We don't need there to be any misunderstandings."

Jason narrowed his eyes. The ambassador could use all the fancy words and phrases in the dictionary and it wouldn't stop him from seeing right through him. "I believe that this is a meeting between _me_ and the _council_. Not you. I may be Human under this armor, but I do not answer to you, ambassador. Nore do I care about your stand point on certain matters regarding politics."

The ambassador gritted his teeth, "Now you listen to me! Despite what may have already happened, Humanity doesn't need some loose cannon running around doing whatever it is they please without conciquence! Your actions could cause a political shitstorm and I will not stand for it!"

"And what _actions_ are you speaking of ambassador?" Jason asked pointedly. "The fact that I uncovered a deadly plot to control the Citadel? The fact I did everything in my power to save civilian lives? Or when I helped C-Sec retake the tower saving countless others including _you_?"

Udina was about to lash out when the nano soldier lifted the man off the ground by the front of his shirt like he weighed nothing. "Take heed, _ambassador Udina_ , I could have just as easily left you to die that day. But I am a man bound by honor and duty. And no one will be left behind if I can help it."

He felt a taloned hand on his shoulder and looked back to see Nihlus. "The council is ready for you." he said evenly.

Jason cast a glance back at Udina before setting him down. "One day you will cross me. But I will not kill you." he began walking away before casting one last glance over his shoulder, "However, that doesn't mean I have to save you."

He walked up the small flight of stairs and stood in the very same spot were Commander Shepard would stand in a little over two years when she becomes a Spectre. The three councilors stood at their podiums waiting as he stood before them.

"Maverick, thank you for coming." said Tevos calmly.

The nano soldier nodded, "Since you had me brought her specifically, I believe that this is something very important."

"Indeed," said Valern. "We must admit that we were a little surprised to see you at the ceremony. After what has transpired in the past we were certain that you would have felt the need to remain in hiding."

"I hold no ill-will toward the council or C-Sec for what has happened. And I can understand why you did what you did." replied Jason. "I was an unknown entity, running around your station killing mercs and bypassing the laws and regulations you set in place for the public's safety. Had I been in your situation, I would have done the same."

"Thank you for understanding, Maverick." said Tevos. "As for the matter at hand, we wish to discuss with you the events that took place before the attack."

"We have reason to believe that the data received by C-Sec came from you. And we want to know how you came across it and why you handed it over so easily." said Sparatus crossly.

From there Jason explained everything. From the first fight against the Eclipse at the warehouse leading up to traking down Kaion Xambit who turned out to be dead. How he gave the data to C-Sec so they could prepare everyone and his part in the counter attack that helped retake the tower and the Presidium.

"You assaulted one of our Spectres!" Sparatus roared in outrage.

"In my defense she attacked me, with lethal force I might add. I used non-lethal methods to disarm and incapacitate her without serious injury." Jason said back evenly. keeping his composure. "I would not kill one of your Spectres, or any C-Sec personnel. Mercs and thugs are a completely different story."

When things began to settle Tevos spoke, "Despite your methods, your information saved many lives and helped us all mount a proper defense." Her eyes focused, and Jason had a feeling where things were going to go. "There is, however, the matter about who, or more precisely _what_ you are."

"No species in the traverse has ever built something even close to what your armor is capable of. The technology alone surpasses what has just barely been perfected and distributed." added Valern.

"And having such technology in the hands of someone without an identity or faction troubles us. And we would like answers." said Sparatus.

The nano soldier had been planning for this, in the off chance that someone digs too deep and finds flaws in the background story he and SECOND cooked up. He needed a backup plan for just that occasion...and now was that time.

"The suit I'm wearing is beyond anything that military manufacurers can produce. It is one of a kind and can only work for me, it is purposely locked onto my DNA to ensure that it doesn't fall into the wrong hands." he explained.

"What is it made of?" asked Valern, his intelligent Salarian mind working in overdrive.

"It is a combination of synthetic and organic components. Designed so that the wearer's abilities are enhanced beyond their normal levels. Speed, Strength, Endurance. I'm not completely sure of it's overall design, the creator was killed before I could learn more." Jason lied smoothly.

"And it's combat capabilities?" asked Sparatus.

"Works like a hardsuit of heavy armor, only lighter. It can adapt to fit any combat scenario." said the vigilante.

Tevos looked over the suited man carefully, memories of how he saved her life at the front of her mind. Seeing him shielding her from the heavy rounds from a stationary gun and walk it off like it was nothing had the Asari in awe. "What of you?"

Jason collected himself a moment, "I was...an unwilling test subject. I don't know much about the people that found me, all that I remember is that I was dying. Someone found me and saved my life with a lot of strings attached." he looked down at his hands. "They...grafted the suit onto my body. They called it symbiosis, my injuries were healed but the suit's organic components bonded themselves to by body in the process."

He looked up at the council who were looking at him in shock. "I am trapped within the suit. Trapped in my own personal hell. I no longer need to eat, to sleep, everything that made me Human is gone now. I am only a weapon with a brain, but I retained my sense of honor and the morals that I lived by when I was 'normal'."

Silence filled the council chambers, each councilor glanced at one another before addressing the one before them. Jason was grinning under his helmet at how easily they were buying it. Telling them the story from Alcatraz's point of view seemed like the safest bet to get the council to believe he wasn't really someone else.

"Goddess...who would create something like this? And force it upon someone else." said Tevos looking at the vigilante with slight sympathy.

"I consider it a terrible priviledge." said the nano soldier. "I have my skills, and the power to make a difference anywhere. And I intend to ensure the safety of as many people as I can, no matter what."

"All of that power, and you choose to save others. You even went out of your way to use non-lethal methods against C-Sec and Spectre Vasir. Not many would have taken the honorable path with what you are capable of." said Valern.

"Be that as it may, that doesn't change the fact that you are an unknown. Something must be done to ensure that your words and intentions are true." said Sparatus stiffly.

"I have a suggestion." said Tevos, garnering the attention of everyone. "You will be offered full pardon for your actions here on the Citadel against the Eclipse. C-Sec and our agents will no longer hunt you. In return, should the need for someone of your skills be needed, you will be called upon to protect the station and its inhabitants."

Jason crossed his arms and thought it over, he'd be doing exactly the same as before. But this time he'd have a get out jail free card so long as he helped the council or C-Sec when it was needed.

It wasn't a whole lot, be he at least gained some of the council's respect. And despite how little that may seem given the future, it did have benefits he could use.

"I gladly accept." He said after a few minutes, "And I'll do my best to not disappoint this council or the people of the Citadel."

X

The meeting with the council ended after another hour. Hammering out the details about his new duties if ever he was needed.

In the end it would all be worth it, and hopefully he could use this as a chance to make them see the threats they would be facing in a couple years.

Walking out of the tower, Jason decided to take the quiet route through one of the many streets of the Presidium Commons, since nearly everyone on the station knew of him and what he had done he didn't feel the need to hide himself from their view.

The small number of people around watched him walk by in awe, several attempting to snag a holo of him on their omni-tools as he kept to himself as he casually walked by. None of them aware that he was doing this for a purpose...

While he walked, his eyes went to the motion tracker on his HUD where a yellow blip had been following him since he left the tower. He picked them up the moment he hit the lobby and had a feeling they would tail him when he departed.

It took him over a second to recognize the person, and their affiliation. And he had no doubt that they had backup laying in wait to assist. All he had to do was bide his time.

Slipping into a nearby alley, Jason activated his cloak and pressed himself to the wall and waited.

Seconds later, a woman's form stood at the mouth of the alleyway. Drawing a pistol before she slowly tredded inside. When she got close enough, the nano soldier decloaked, knocking the weapon from her hand before pinning her to the wall with his forearm pressed against her throat.

The woman's ice blue eyes widened in surprised as she looked into the red visor of her target holding her to the wall, able to crush her throat with little effort.

"Hello Ms. Lawson. I've been expecting you." Jason said grimly.

 ** _A/N: I've been saying this a lot, but changes are coming and will appear within the next few chapters. And if you've read the original story, you're definitely going to notice it._**

 ** _Will update again within the next 24 hours, so be ready!_**


	17. Chapter 16

_**A/N: Hello to all and welcome back. Remember in the last update I mentioned that changes would be taking place soon...well I'm here to tell you that they are starting here and NOW.**_

 _ **Taking the original version of what was supposed to be the next two chapters in the series, I instead cut them down a bit and merged them together into one. Thus leaving a big space for even more content of my own design to be thrown in. I vowed to put my own flair into an already awesome story, and I intend to deliver right here and now.**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Back Alley - Presidium**

 **November, 30, 2180 - 14:20 hours**

Jason had been expecting many things to occur since his arrival on the Citadel. His actions and skills as 'Maverick' had gathered a lot of attention since he started his fight against the mercs. He was bound to attract known parties that would attempt to either capture, kill or recruit him.

Cerberus had been at the top of that list.

And here he was, standing in an alley with Miranda Lawson against the wall with his arm pressed tightly against her throat. "I was wondering when Cerberus would track me down. And you didn't disappoint." he said darkly, leaving a clear signal that he wasn't to be taken lightly.

"There is no need for violence. I came to speak with you civily." said Miranda calmly with her hands grasping tightly to the arm against her throat. "My boss would like to speak to you. He has a proposition." she said as calmly as possible.

The nano soldier's eyes narrowed, his motion tracker lit up with four unknown targets on the rooftops above while she was talking. His detection meter went from yellow to red in seconds, the agent more than likely sending out a silent signal for backup. "Tell those four snipers to stand down. Or you'll spend the rest of your life as a vegtable." he said making her eyes widen at being found out.

Miranda brought out her omni-tool, the arm against her throat tensed in a clear warning if she tried anything. "Stand down." she ordered. The four hostiles slowly disappeared and the detection meter went back into the yellow on Jason's HUD.

"Good move." he said stepping back and released her. "Now, what the fuck do you want?"

Miranda straightened out her suit as she looked up at him. "The Illusive Man has been tracking your movements for some time now, Maverick. Your skill set and prowess in combat is something our organization could use."

"For what? And don't bullshit me, Lawson. I know all about Cerberus and all of the experiments they commit against aliens and Humans alike. So don't think you can get into my head with your pro-Human bullshit." said Jason, leaving no room for argument.

The cerberus agent's eyes narrowed. This was suppose to be a simple meet and greet, instead she discovers that her target knew a lot more than she or anyone in the organization knew he did.

"I can assure you, that Cerberus is not as 'unpleasant' as the Alliance makes us appear." she tried to reason.

"Right, like there's another ex-Alliance Black Ops organization that went rogue and has become more Human-centric than Terra Firma." said the nano soldier stiffly. "Tell the Illusive Man to go fuck himself, I'm not interested." turning to walk away he felt wisps of dark energy travel across his form.

 **"Biotic Energy Detected. Maximum Armor."** The weave of the nano suit strengthened and repulsed the stasis attack that had attempted to trap him.

Grabbing the woman by the neck and holding her off the ground, Jason pressed his visor close to Miranda's face. Her shocked eyes reflecting back at her. "That...was a mistake, bitch."

The sounds of heavy footsteps flooded the alley. A squad of nine Cerberus Assault Troopers stormed in with weapons drawn with a Centurion leading them. The four snipers from before resumed their positions, rifles aimed down range at the nano soldier.

"I have to insist that you come with us." said Miranda while she was suspended.

Jason quickly tagged all 14 hostiles along with Miranda as he surveyed the surroundings. He didn't have any weapons on him, save for his knife, desiding to leave them back at the apartment so that he would seem less hostile at the Citadel tower during the ceremony. **"Tactical Options Available."**

He tossed Miranda aside as he kicked the Centurion hard in the chest, sending the squad leader crashing into his team knocking several of them down.

Before any of them had a chance to register what had happened Jason grabbed one of the Assault Troopers by the arm, twisting it violently to the side and breaking the limb allowing him to snatch the assault rifle that he was holding.

Taking the stunned man by the throat, the nano soldier used him as a Human shield while he gunned down the two men that were standing behind him. Quickly snapping the trooper's neck afterward as sniper fire rained down from above.

Spinning around, he fired four quick rounds taking down the snipers on the roof with direct headshots before they could get a lock on him.

The rest of the Cerberus personnel regrouped and got into cover before returning fire. Jason activated his armor mode and shot back. Two more troopers falling dead before they had a chance to get out of the way.

The Centurion dropped three smoke grenades that quickly created a wall of haze in the alley. "Like that will work." Jason muttered, **"Nano Vision Enabled."**

The five remaining Cerberus troops lit up through the smoke as they all got out of cover to surround him. The rifle in his hands fired one round after another as they started dropping. The Centurion's shields dropped under the assault as Jason ran through the smoke screen, throwing the rifle aside as he cocked his fist back and connected with the squad leaders head, his helmet flying clean off with a sickening crack as his body crumpled to the ground dead like the rest of his men.

Surveying the bodies around him in the battle scarred alleyway, the nano soldier saw that Miranda was missing. Having slipped away during the fighting unnoticed.

HUD coming on line, SECOND highlighted the tagged corpses and several footprints all around the alley. One set of footprints in particular went past all of the downed bodies and farther down the path around one of the surrounding buildings. "Gotcha." he muttered scooping up a heavy pistol as he followed the glowing tracks.

X

Miranda pressed her back to the wall next to her. Seeing Maverick tearing through the heavily armed troopers that were sent to ensure his capture had given her more than a reason to retreat.

This was far more than what she had thought. The vigilante proved to me a far greater challenge than she or the Illusive Man had first thought. They'd have to come up with a different plan dealing with him in the future.

Knowing that her operation was a failure, she brought up her omni-tool to report back-

Something grabbed her arm, a shimmer in the air faded revealing the hulking form of Maverick as he towered over her. "Leaving so soon Lawson?" he asked darkly. "What's the matter? A little nervious now that your help is dead?"

Miranda remained silent, but her shock at his appearence was clearly visible. "Not much of a talker now are you? That's okay, I don't need you to talk." his omni-tool flared to life as SECOND hacked into the woman's omni-tool.

"What are you-" the nano soldier slammed her into the wall, jarring her badly as the AI finished hacking the device. When it was over he looked at his device a moment before glaring at her through his visor. "I just hacked your omni-tool. Everything you had on it is now in my possession. Including contact information for the Illusive Man."

The 'perfect woman's' face drained of color before the vigilante knocked her out cold.

X

 **Cerberus Headquarters - Cronos Station**

 **Anadius Cluster - Horsehead Nebula**

 **November 30, 2180 - 15:30 hours**

The Illusive Man sat back in his chair, silently observing the wall of holo-screens before him and the countless streams of data that scrolled over them. Cigarette held in his fingers as he waited patiently for Miranda to contact him.

As if by clockwork, the QEC projector behind him came online. "Ms. Lawson, I take it your mission was successful." he said taking a drag on the cancer stick with his back still turned.

"Sorry, Miranda can't come to the phone right now. She's a bit tied up at the moment." The head of Cerberus spun his chair around. Instead of seeing one of his best operatives, he saw the very vigilante he had sent her after.

"Maverick. I had a feeling you and I would be speaking face to face at some point." TIM said calmly, the other man's appearence not seeming to bother him in the least.

"Is that right? I had a similar feeling, though I was expecting to have a gun trained on your head." said Jason as he stood with his arms crossed.

TIM tapped his cigarette on the ash tray built into his chair, "Your hostility toward me and Cerberus is unneeded, Maverick. We are not the only party currently tracking your movements. Ms. Lawson was merely offering a proposition to one of your skill and prowess."

"Was that suppose to be before or after the dozen or so armed assholes came at me?" Jason asked, not convinced. "They're all dead by the way. Lawson's lucky I feel merciful to her situation."

"I'm not surprised you were able to dispatch them so easily. Your past actions against the Eclipse proved what you are capable of in a combat situation. Someone of your skillset could prove invaluable to Humanity as a whole." said TIM.

"Humanity? Or Cerberus?" The nano soldier inquired pointedly, "Captain Anderson and Admiral Hackett are already on my side, I don't need an organization like yours hounding me at every turn. I know what you assholes do. You only look out for your own selfish wants, killing and blackmailing anyone that gets in your way. You experiment on innocent people to make Humanity look like top dog when your making us out to be monsters to the rest of the Traverse."

Jason's stance turned tense, "I know all about Akuze, along with over a dozen other operations taking place as we speak in every corner of the galaxy. You fuckers are _sick_. The shit you've had your people do are inhumane against every law of morality in existance."

For a long moment nothing was said. TIM took another drag on his cigarette before he spoke. "Although I am curious on how you received your information, you failed to see what we are hoping to achieve. Humanity has been under the scrutany of the rest of the galaxy for decades. The First Contact war proved that our species will always be considered second rate. Improving our species and proving our strengths are the only ways that the galaxy at large will see what we are capable of. Cerberus has the best intentions for Humanity."

"The road to Hell was paved with 'good intentions'. Over the dead bodies of good people who stood in the way." Jason growled. "The ends don't justify the means, what's the point of showing our 'dominance' when we lose our humanity in the process?"

"Poetic, but misses the point." said TIM taking another drag. "Morality and ethics may define some but they never see the bigger picture. The Alliance formed Cerberus with the intention of being the tip of the spear for Humanity. Yet they never could fully grasp our methods and labled us as a threat. We still are what Humanity can be at their best, even if others fail to notice it."

"Cerberus was suppose to be Humanity's sword, not a dagger in the back. How many innocent people had to die because of your twisted intentions? How many problems has the Human race had to face because of what you've done?" the nano soldier demanded.

TIM set his cigarette down, "Despite our intentions. The offer stands for you, Maverick." his glowing blue eyes locked with the red visor. "Humanity could use someone like you. Cerberus could benefit from your abilities."

Jason bit back every bit of profanity that he knew in the english language. "I'll never join Cerberus. I'd rather be fired into a damn star than be a part of your organization's madness."

"That's...disappointing." said TIM slowly. "You must understand that someone in your position could find things rather difficult with such a decision."

"Are you threatening me Illusive Man?" asked Jason. "Or should I be calling you Jack Harper?"

The silence that followed was suffocating for some. TIM's glowing eyes were practically burning holes through the vigilante's hologramed form despite his calm features. "Where did you learn that?" he said calmly, but with enough ice to frost a planet.

"I have my connections, Jack. I know what you did on Shanxi during the First Contact War, how you became head of Cerberus, almost every dirty little secret the Alliance and the Council would love to get their hands on." Jason said, not in the least bit threatened.

"And what are you intending on doing with this information." said TIM standing from his chair and advancing on the nano soldier's hologram.

"Not a damn thing." he replied. "But if you send your goddamn goons after me again, every little bit about your past and identity will spread across the extranet like a virus. If I'm somehow killed, if _you_ have me killed, it will spread anyway and the Alliance will be knocking down every facility you have from here to the Terminus Systems. I'll personally bring the fight right to your fucking doorstep with a battering ram in hand."

The two glared at each other for a long while, as if daring one another to make the next move. "I'm giving you fair warning, Maverick. You do not want to make Cerberus your enemy." TIM said with a sharp tone.

"Funny, I was going to say the same. You know where I stand, and the repercussions if you come after me again." Jason pointed a finger at the Cerberus tycoon, "And _that_ is a threat, Jack. I'd remember this moment if I were you." with that the hologram faded.

The Illusive Man sat back in his chair, taking up his cigarette and taking a deep drag.

Maverick was definately an interesting subject.

X

Jason stepped away from the QEC terminal in the empty apartment located in the Upper Wards before turning to Miranda. The so called 'perfect woman' was strapped down to a chair with her hands bound behind her back and a frosty glare aimed at him.

"I think I pissed off your boss." he said casually, "Though I don't really give two fucks what he thinks if I'm being honest."

The woman glared at him even harder, "You can't hope to defy the Illusive Man forever. Even with the so called information you possess." she said snarkly.

Tilting his head, Jason brought up a chair and sat infront of her. "It's not just the Illusive Man I have information on Ms. Lawson." he leaned back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest;

"Miranda Lawson. Daughter of Henry Lawson, genetically tailored to be the 'perfect child' to run his dynasty. Fled his cluches when you were a teenager with your sister Oriana while she was an infant so she didn't suffer the same destiny that was set for you. Joined Cerberus to ensure that her and her adopted family wouldn't be discovered by your father."

Miranda's face was the color of ash and her mouth was hanging open in both shock and horror. "I take it I hit the nail on the head." the nano soldier stated calmly, causing the woman's mouth to close with a soft click.

"...please...leave her out of this. Ori's not a part of any of this." she said, pleading.

"I'm not going to go after your sister, Lawson. Unlike Cerberus, I don't use underhanded tactics to take down my enemies. I'd rather look them in the eye as I kill them instead of targeting their family, only cowards do something like that." said Jason as he stood up and took out his knife.

The woman flinched as he got behind her, only to feel her bindings fall away as he cut them. "Your...letting me go?" she asked rubbing her wrists in confusion.

"I've removed your weapons, omni-tool and communication devices. I also temporarily nullified your biotic implants. Your no more a threat to me than a common mugger right now." Jason said heading for the door, pausing at the threshold before looking over his shoulder at her. "I'm passing a warning to you as well. Come after me again, and Oriana will be an only child."

He slipped out the door without another word and activated his cloak. Miranda watched him go, a perfect eyebrow raised as she recounted the events that had transpired.

Maverick was just as much a threat as they had believed. He took down an entire squad of heavily armed men with little difficulty and managed to hack her omni-tool's encryptions like it was second nature.

Whoever he is, the vigilante just proved to be either a valuable asset to some, or an untimely death of those who stood in his way.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Jason and Reena's Apartment**

 **November 30, 2180 - 16:00 hours**

"Wait a minute, Cerberus?" asked Reena in shock, having heard about the incident after the ceremony from her friend and roommate

Jason sat at the table drinking a glass of water. After his encounter with Cerberus and his talk with the Illusive Man, he took the long way back to his apartment to ensure that he wasn't being followed again. Chellick and Reena had already been there when he arrived when he explained everything that happened when he left the Citadel tower.

"Apparently I've been on their radar for a while. They just waited for the right time to reveal themselves. But I don't think they intended on me taking them down so easily and putting the Illusive Man in his place like I did." he replied.

Chellick shook his head, "You know fucking with these guys is a bad idea, right? A few threats won't scare these people off. They'll just find another way to get you to join their cause, or take you out."

The nano soldier grinned ferally, "Oh, I know they will. And when they do, they'll learn the hard way of what happens when you mess with someone like me." his look turned serious, "And I won't take unneeded risks. I won't put you guys or anyone else in danger as long as I can help it."

Reena sighed, "Leave it to you to be so noble and thick headed at the same time." Jason chuckled as they settled in for the night. The nano soldier decided to take a few days just to relax, after everything that's happened thus far, he earned a vacation.

And he could only hope that the next two or so years would be easy ones.

...

...fat chance of that.

 **X 2 YEARS LATER X**

 **Sky Lounge Cafe - Upper Wards**

 **July 19, 2183 - 12:09 hours**

Emily Wong walked through the many chairs and tables in the empty cafe. The place was usually very busy at this time of day, but now it was completely silent and devoid of any of the usual patrons that frequented.

The cafe was on the side of a large building that had a perfect view of the Presidium and the wards around it. The artificial sky shone brightly as the station was at the peak of it's 'day cycle making the overall view a sight to behold'.

The investigative journalist looked around seeing the two dozen tables, finding that even the waitstaff was missing. Only one person could be seen and that was the one running the front counter who smiled at her and told her she was expected before motioning to the table that was closest to the railing that had the best view.

Ordering her usual coffee, she sat down with her beverage and took a sip as she looked at the scenery. "Beautiful sight isn't it." Emily choked on her coffee as the chair across from her shimmered before the black and silver armored form of Maverick appeared.

"You really need to stop doing that..." she muttered with tears in her eyes after coughing up the last bits of her drink.

"Sorry, hard habit to break." said the vigilante as he looked out at the Presidium.

Getting everything under control, the journalist rummaged through her bag. "You know I was surprised you even agreed to this. The last time I asked you for an interview you shot me down, what changed?" she asked taking out a recording device and setting it on the table between them.

Maverick was silent a moment, "A lot of things have happened in the last two years, and things will become very tense very soon." he said cryptically.

Emily leaned forward on the table, "What's going on? Is it another attack like with the Eclipse?"

The vigilante nodded, "Sort of, but I don't have the evidence to back it up like last time. Not yet anyway. That's something you'll have to keep between us, Ms. Wong." he looked in her direction. "But right now I wanted to clear the air with everything that has happened up to this point. And for that to happen I needed to speak to you alone."

She looked around for a moment, "Guess that explains why the place is so empty."

Maverick nodded. "I paid the cafe's owner off to have the place to ourselves for the time being. You can ask anything you want, I'll answer what I can without incriminating myself or others."

"I do have a lot of questions for you. And with what's happened since the Eclipse attack a lot of people want to hear from you and what you've been up to since then." said the journalist.

Getting comfortable, the vigilante gave another nod as Emily pressed the record button on the device. "Emily Wong. Date: July 19, 2183. Interview Subject: Maverick." She spoke clearly before looking at him and smiling, "Thank you for the interview, Maverick, many people would kill to be in my position right now."

"I bet. Though I chose you for the interview specifically." said the vigilante honestly. "You'll print the truth. You won't make alterations to my words to gain publicity. To be honest Ms. Wong, your one of only a handful of honest reporters on the Citadel I can trust."

Emily blushed before shaking her head, "Th-Thank you." she cleared her throat. "Now, the main question everyone has on their minds is what you've been up to since the Eclipse incident."

Maverick chuckled, "Considering I've been on the nightly news several times in the past that's not hard to tell. Let's just say that I've been busy."

Nodding the journalist pressed on, "Understandable, the first time anyone on the Citadel saw you since the mercenary attack was that Red Sand raid a few months later."

 _Flashback_

 _ **Industrial District - Lower Wards**_

 _ **January 11, 2181 - 18:57 hours**_

 _C-Sec had the warehouse surrounded on all sides. They'd been keeping tabs on several small bands of Eclipse mercs that have been smuggling Red Sand through customs._

 _Despite the heightened security since the Eclipse attack, and C-Sec's large growth in recruitment, a few small groups managed to get contriband into the station. However, it didn't take long for Citadel Security to catch on and track them down._

 _Garrus was leading the strike team as they prepared to breach the building and take down the smugglers inside. "Are all entry teams in place?" he asked into his comm._

'Ready Sir, just waiting on your signal.' _came the reply as Garrus pulled out his sniper rifle and looked down the sights. Everything down below was quiet, it had taken them all of 15 minutes to get the place surrounded without the Eclipse knowing about it._

 _Just as he was about to give the signal the sounds of gunfire resounded from within the building. "What the hell's going on in there? Anyone have a visual?" Garrus shouted into his comm._

'Negative sir, whatever's happening sounds brutal though.' _said one of the squad leaders just as the front door of the warehouse exploded outward sending five men wearing yellow armor barring the Eclipse insignia crashing onto the ground several feet away._

 _All of the C-Sec personnel looked at the gaping hole in the building where a familiar form appeared._

 _Maverick stomped out into the light holding his shotgun in his hands as he approached the mercs that were attempting to stand._

 _A heavy boot slammed into the stomach of one spinning him around and sending him crashing back to the ground. A second had gotten to his feet but a close range shotgun blast blew his chest opened._

 _The vigilante spun around and slammed the butt of his weapon into the face of the Salarian behind him before shooting the last merc that had tried to run for cover._

 _"Just what the hell is going on?" Garrus shouted walking out into the open with the rest of the C-Sec officers._

 _Maverick looked to the Turian, "Intercepted a transmission sent by the smugglers. I tracked them here and shut down their operation." he brought out his omni-tool and send something. Garrus' omni-tool chimmed making him look down at it. "Shipping manifests, ship names, and cargo updates. I pulled that from the terminals inside before going after them full force."_

 _Garrus growled, "This was a C-Sec operation, you had no right to interfere."_

 _"They were already starting to close up shop and move on. They were preparing for an attack from C-Sec and had defences in place ready for you." he looked down at the two groaning mercs as two officers cuffed them. The Salarian's face dripping blood from the strike of his weapon. "And I left two for you to interrogate for more information."_

 _Looking back up at the detective, the vigilante shouldered his weapon. "Whether you believe it or not, Detective Vakarian, I'm not trying to be your enemy. It's not just the citizens of the Citadel I look out for." his visor scanned over all of the C-Sec personnel around him. "I'll also be there to make sure that everyone in C-Sec is able to go home alive and well. If I'm stepping on your toes I'm sorry, but I won't let people die if I can help it."_

 _He gave a small salute before vanishing into thin air, leaving C-Sec to do their job and several of them thanking the man for ensuring their safety._

 _Flashback End_

"Sounds like there are a few detectives in C-Sec that don't think your doing any good out there despite what you've done for everyone." said Emily bitterly.

Maverick shook his head, "Not true, Ms. Wong. Detective Vakarian is a very honest and noble officer of the law. He's a strickly by the books kind of cop and that's a very important trait to have. I don't blame him for the way he was toward me."

"So your not angry at him for getting on your case?" asked the journalist.

"Not at all. To be honest Garrus is one of a good number of people that I wouldn't mind having my back in a firefight. As a matter of fact, me and him got on good graces after a case of his took a turn for the worst and he was alone against a suspect."

Emily nodded, "Yes, I think I recall that one. The Elcor Ambassador that had killed several people and terrorized the wards for weeks."

Maverick nodded, "Normally I didn't step into C-Sec affairs unless I was needed. But when I discovered Detective Vakarian alone and squaring off against a biotic Elcor with a streak of murders under it's belt I felt the need to offer assistance."

 _Flashback_

 _ **Docking Bay 32 - Upper Wards**_

 _ **April 20, 2181 - 13:21 hours.**_

 _Garrus leapt behind cover as a warp attack destroyed the crate that had been behind him. "Triamphantly: Your struggles are in vain detective. Your death will be slow and painful." said the Elcor in the usual emotionless-monotone way of their species._

 _The Turian leapt out of cover and fired several rounds with his pistol. Each shot bouncing harmlessly off of the biotic Elcor's barrier. The larger alien charged the dark energy around it's form before launching a shockwave that Garrus was just barely able to dodge away from._

 _"Just give it up! Backups on it's way and you won't be able to get out of the system before you're boxed in!" Garrus shouted before firing a few more rounds at his opponent._

 _"Demeaningly: Your pathetic attempts to apprehend me will only lead to your downfall. Menacingly: You have no hope left detective." said the ambassador charging up more dark energy._

 _Before the Elcor could launch another attack, something large and heavy slammed into it's barrier and knocking it back several feet. The air shimmered a moment before a familiar suit of black and silver armor stood tall._

 _"Shockingly: Maverick." said the Elcor as it tensed._

 _The vigilante drew his bow and unfolded it in his hands, drawing back an arrow and aiming for the large alien's head. "It's over, Ambassador. C-Sec's on it's way and your ID's all over the comm channels." he said as Garrus got out of cover and drew closer to the two._

 _"Enraged: Your presence changes nothing, vigilante. You will die like the others." said the Elcor as it prepared to fire a warp attack._

 _Maverick let the arrow bolt bypassing the alien's barrier, the tunsten arrow head piercing the hyde on it's right shoulder. A loud bellow resounded from the Elcor as it stumbled back a few steps._

 _Garrus looked at the bow in the vigilante's hands and nodded, "Primative, yet effective. Thanks for the assist." he said keping his weapon trained on the Ambassador as it began to right itself._

 _"You need him dead or alive?" the vigilante asked drawing another arrow and knocking it._

 _"Alive is more useful." said the Turian as the Elcor glowed with biotic energy._

 _Maverick fired the arrow, hitting the fuel tank next to the ambassador. The barrels exploded a split second later, the Elcor's barriers holding up for only a few seconds before the blast charred it's flesh and sending it crashing hard to the ground unmoving._

 _Garrus moved ahead, nudging the downed Elcor with his foot and finding that he was still alive. "Not how I would have handled it, but he's no longer a threat at least." he said looking back at Maverick as he folded up his bow and put it on his back._

 _"You may not agree with my methods detective, but it's all I know." said the vigilante as the sounds of sirens approached. "I'll leave you to it."_

 _Turning his back, he paused when the Turian called out to him, "Maverick. Listen, thanks for the help. The bastard would have escaped if you hadn't helped take him down."_

 _Maverick smiled under his visor, "No problem, detective. You ever need a hand, never hesitate to ask." with that he vanished into the air as Garrus' backup arrived to apprehend the criminal Elcor._

 _Flashback End_

"You had to have gotten a lot of good graces from C-Sec for that one." said Emily as she drank her coffee.

The journalist set her cup down and gave the man her full attention once more, "Now, you've gotten the respect and trust of a lot of people out there on the station. C-Sec, the councilors, the public and even a few higher ups in the Alliance. What do you intend to do with all of this support?"

"Nothing." said Maverick honestly. "I'm never aiming for publicity or anything of that nature. But it's always good to have people on your side in a time of need." said the vigilante honestly while leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms.

"Very true." said Emily. "And if I remember correctly, some of those friends called upon you in need of some much needed help on a few occasions."

Maverick nodded, "A few odd jobs here and there sent to me from Executor Pallin or the council. The Alliance brass sent me on a mission or two as well. Mostly jobs that C-Sec couldn't solve because of too much red tape. I can't reveal what exactly those missions were however, you understand."

Emily smiled, "The call sign of a true hero if you ever heard one." she said taking another sip of her coffee, and pondering her next question carefully. "Why do you do this? Why put yourself through so much when you don't have to?"

Maverick took a few moments to think himself. "There are things about me, that others are never meant to know or understand. More than once I believe that I'm not even Human anymore." His head turned and regarded her, "I do this, because it reminds me of who I am. That I'm still a Human being under all of this hardware with morals and a sense of honor."

They lapsed into silence once more. Emily had many questions left to ask the man next to her, but she knew that she was dealing with someone that although was strong and swift physically, also had a good heart under his armor.

She was startled out of her thoughts when the vigilante's omni-tool began chimming.

Maverick looked over the device before deactivating it. "Our time is up I'm afraid. Sorry if you still have questions, but I'm needed elsewhere right now." he said turning to her.

"It's alright. I've gotten more than enough. Thank you." said Emily bowing to him slightly.

Maverick bowed back before vaulting over the railing beside their table. The journalist gasped as she leaned over the railing to see what had happened to him.

A moment later, Maverick rose up standing on top of a black skycar. His omni-tool flared as he typed a few things before Emily's chimmed with an incoming message. The vigilante opened the door of the skycar and slipped inside before zooming off a moment later.

When the car was nothing more than a dot in the distance, she checked her omni-tool for the message she received.

 _ **"Thank you for listening" - M**_

Emily smiled, she had come to get an interview and instead helped one of the most well known vigilante's unload his emotional baggage. Closing the device, she picked up the recording device from the table, looking it over a moment and smiling before pressing the small button next to the record button on the top.

 _"File's Deleted"_ said the VI

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Alex's Apartment - Lower Wards**

 **July 19, 2183 - 14:00 hours**

Jason walked into his apartment, pulling off his helmet and setting it on the coffee table before flopping onto the couch. A lot truely did happen in the last two years.

Reena had moved out and moved in with Chellick over a year ago. She was worried he would be upset with her, but the nano soldier was just happy that his two friends were together and living good lives with one another.

He still worked at Thrax's shop, making weapons while at the same time improving his own. The old Krogan had gone to visit old friends out on Omega about a week ago and wouldn't be back for another month, which gave Jason a lot of time to himself these days.

And in that time, he had managed to make a new type of arrow for his bow to assist in combat.

The nano soldier called it the Eezo Arrow. The new bolt acting the same way as the explosive arrows, the difference being he had infused a vial of compressed element zero into the shaft of the arrow that was designed to expel the moment of impact. The effect was similar to that of a weak singularity, with the expelled eezo acting as a miniature blackhole to damage enemies and leave them vulnerable for further assault.

It had taken him months to perfect it, and the materials to make it were a lot more costly than what made the bow and other arrows combined. So he was only able to make a total of 15 in all without completely breaking the bank.

Needless to say he'd only use them in an emergency.

Leaning back in his seat, Jason rested his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes as he recounted everything else that had happened.

What he had told Emily Wong was the truth, the various missions he'd been asked to partake in each had a huge impact on not only the public at large, but the timeline of the universe as well.

A perfect example was what had happened when Dr. Saleon attempted to flee the Citadel with his hostages. Originally it was the only case Garrus couldn't let go because the black market organ dealer had gotten away.

But Jason made sure that didn't happen.

He used his cloak to get behind the crazed Salarian and put a round in the back of his head before he had a chance to get to the ship and escape with his hostages.

C-Sec had been utterly shellshocked by the sudden turn of events. After making sure that the hostages were safe and being tended to by the EMTs and officers on the scene he slipped away quietly.

A few days later he'd gotten a message from Executor Pallin. He was pissed that he went about the situation the way he did, but he stopped Saleon from escaping and ensured that all hostages were safe an unharmed, which more than made up for it apparently.

He didn't know the changes he may have made to the timeline of the ME universe. But at this point the nano soldier was playing things close to the chest as he went along given the changes that had already taken place.

The situation with Cerberus was also a factor to this.

After he had essentially pissed off both the Illusive Man and Miranda Lawson, he knew that he was being tailed every so often when he went out in the nano suit. He made sure that he took the long way home each time and finding places away from home to change out of the suit before actually heading back to the apartment.

He had also taken out several small groups of agents that were sent to keep an eye on him. Jason had to give Cerberus credit for trying so well, and he was very cautious knowing what their organization was capable of. And after a while, their attempts seemed to come to an end.

It was a good thing too. They had no idea who they were dealing with either. If CELL couldn't bring him down, than Cerberus had to come up with something a lot more elaborate to gain control of him.

But if there was one thing that the Illusive Man and Jacob Hargreave had in common was the persistance, the influence, and the cunning to get what they wanted. And that was enough to keep Jason on his toes everytime he left the house.

Checking the time on his omni-tool, the nano soldier rose to his feet and stretched a bit before making his way down the hall to his bedroom where a fully packed duffel bag was laid out and ready on his bed.

Removing the nano suit, he slipped it into a specialized case that he had custom made for it before heading into the bathroom to shower.

Ever since the year 2183 started, Jason had been keeping a sharp, careful eye on news feeds all across the extranet. Most of which revolving around Eden Prime.

From what he knew, the old timelines for the games were vague at best when it came to when certain events took place, and with the changes that he'd already run into he couldn't afford to take chances with what was going to be happening. Months went by and nothing came up...then a couple days ago his patience paid off.

The discovery of an intact Prothean beacon spread across the extranet like wildfire. Most of the important data obviously kept underwraps for obvious reasons, but the fact that it had been found became public knowledge. And with that announcment, Jason immediatly started planning his next move.

Showered and dressed in civilian clothes, the nano soldier re-entered his room and collected his things before making his way out of his apartment. Locking it up tight behind him before leaving the building and hailing a cab that took him to the shuttle bays were people were coming and going from all over the place.

Approaching one docking area in particular after passing through customs without incident, of which SECOND could be thanked for making it go so smoothly, Jason showed his pass to the stewartess who smiled before welcoming him aboard. Taking a seat in the back of the shuttle closest to the exit where he leaned back and put a pair of omni-headphones in.

The familiar sound of Chester Bennington's voice from his Linkin Park playlist filling his ears as the shuttle left the Citadel and headed for the cluster's mass relay.

Next stop, Eden Prime.

 _ **A/N: And BOOM, original script has been changed.**_

 _ **It took a lot of brain storming to put this particular installment together, though I was worried because most 'timeskip' chapters can be a bit dodgy at best depending on how they're done. But I think I pulled it off rather well.**_

 _ **Also, with his recent passing, I think Linkin Park's front man needed his own memorial from my point of view. Rest in Peace Chester, you'll forever be one of my favorites...**_

 _ **The next chapter will be all new and all mine, Maverick's about to take Eden Prime Crysis style!**_

 _ **Stay tuned guys!**_


	18. Chapter 17

**_A/N: It's been a couple of days, but I think with what I got right here, many will be in for a pleasant surprise._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

Eden Prime, one of the first Human colonies founded outside the Sol system since the activation of the Charon mass relay. An idyllic agrarian world located within Inner Council Space with a healthy and fertile biosphere, more than capable to sustain life that turned it into a literal paradise for travelers from all over.

For many, it was the perfect place to call home...of course, no one had anyway of knowing that a recent discovery would make Eden Prime and its inhabitants a literal target.

Seemingly from nowhere, a massive ship descended from above. Painting the very sky the color of blood just before a small fleet of Geth ships followed it, offloading countless troops throughout the colony that attacked the frightened and fleeing citizens without abandon.

The Systems Alliance presence was quick to take up arms to defend against the invasion. Taking on the synthetic army on every front while at the same time attempting to evacuate as many civilians as possible.

In a matter of hours, the once proud paradise had become a warzone. And the Geth's overwhelming numbers and firepower threatened to overcome the resistance in their path.

However, the machines did not count on someone already knowing of their attack. And had prepared for it.

X

Within Constant, the colony's capital, a large squad of seven Geth roamed through the empty streets. Debris and a handful of destroyed skycars scattered about along with the bodies of both Human and synthetic alike.

The machines had been given their orders, and they would follow them as their programming demanded.

In the lead of the squad was a Destroyer, towering over the troops around it while its optic scanned for any signs of life. Coming to a halt when it detected something beneath an overturned skycar beside a nearby building.

Issuing a series of clicks, the Destroyer pointed at the ruined vehicle. Three troopers responded and made their way over to it with their pulse rifles at the ready. With one standing off to the side, the other two grabbed the edges of the skycar and flipped it back over, finding a young man and woman in dirty clothes huddled together.

The three Geth brought up their weapons as the Humans begged to be spared just before the head of the trooper in the middle exploded in a shower of sparks, it's body collapsing to the ground as it went offline.

Both remaining Geth turned to the fallen unit a second before one of them suffered the same fate as the previous. The last trooper raised its head, looking for the source before it's optic exploded when a round punched straight through it.

Back with the rest of the squad, the Destroyer began scanning the surrounding rooftops. The two Humans that had been found running into better cover as the machines tried to locate where the shots had been fired. Cycling through various modes of vision while doing so just as one of the troopers around it fell dead to yet another headshot.

Movement ontop of a smaller building had the large Geth aiming that way, the two remaining units doing the same as they all opened fire. Pulse rounds hitting along the side of the building and burning through the air, but none seemed to have hit anything as they started searching again.

The soft clatter of metal on stone drew their attention to the ground between them, their optics zeroing in on a round object that rolled by their feet. An explosion quickly followed, reducing the two troopers to scrap metal and sending the Destroyer crashing to the ground. Shields shattered and both legs nothing more than mangled joints that sparked and leaked white fluid.

Clicking as it observed the damage done to its legs, the large Geth looked up in time to see a shimmer in the air that dissolved into a tall figure that stood over it. The unit's optic shuttered once before it's head vanished from a point blank shotgun blast.

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Colony Capital: Constant - Eden Prime**

 **July 23, 2183 - 13:11 hours**

Lowering his shotgun, Jason looked around at all the devistation around him. Feeling satisfaction at reducing every single Geth he had encountered to scrap metal since the invasion began for all the damage and death that had been caused.

He'd gotten to Eden Prime several days before the attack. After getting himself in settled in a small hotel room on the outskirts of Constant, the nano soldier immediately got to work. Under the guise of a tourist on vacation, he scouted out multiple key locations that would prove beneficial to the coming attack.

Jason had also got a good look of the dig site where the Prothean beacon was being kept under heavy Alliance protection.

The ancient device looked exactly like he had expected it to, only it wasn't active yet. And soon it would be the catalyst for the events that were about to take place.

Once everything was in place, the nano soldier spent the remaining time waiting for the inevitable. As much as he wanted to warn all of Eden Prime, he knew that no one would take him seriously. On top of that, a small fraction of people would somehow try to say that he was somehow involved.

Even though Jason hated it with a passion, he had to remain in the shadows and prepare. And in a matter of days everything came to a head.

It started with Sovereign itself coming down from the skies, the Geth soon followed and launched a full scale attack on the colony. Alliance radio chatter was chaotic, no one knew what was happening but still fought back as best they could.

Jason had been in the middle of having lunch when he heard the bone-chilling horn-like blare that came from the heavens. Witnessing along with the people of Eden Prime as the Reaper descended, within seconds he was running back to his hotel room. Donning his nano suit and weapons before throwing himself into the fray where he helped fight off the Geth and assisted with evacuations. Doing everything he could to buy the Alliance time.

A high-pitched hum filled the air, drawing the nano soldier's attention to the air where two Geth assault drones banking around a pair of buildings and coming in his direction. Both firing pulse rounds down upon the street.

 **"Maximum Armor"** The energy-laced rounds connected with the hardened weave with a decent amount of force, dropping his energy meter with each hit as he drew his Hammer in his free hand and fired a handful of precise shots that sent both drones crashing to the ground.

Deactivating his suit's armor mode, Jason holstered both his pistol and the shotgun when SECOND picked up a local comm signal;

 _"This is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, are there any Alliance personnel on this line?! Geth forces are massing at my teams location, they're going after the beacon! Any reinforcements in the area please respond!"_

"SECOND, lock down that signal and give me a nav-point." the nano soldier said, a moment later a mark appeared on his HUD with the location he needed. Taking out his assault rifle, the nano soldier bent his knees before taking off in a dead run in that direction. The suit pumping power into his leg muscles, increasing his speed until he surpassed that of a cheetah, the area around him flying by in a blur while his feet kicked up dust in his wake.

Eden Prime's capital soon gave away to the surrounding countryside, Jason slowing to a jog to allow his suit's energy to replenish before taking off again. Thankfully all of the key points in and around the colony were roughly grouped together. The dig site where the Prothean beacon was found was about eight miles outside Constant, the spaceport was three miles to the North-East of that.

At the rate he was traveling, he would be at the dig site in about 12 minutes. Which would only give him enough time to set up when he got within range. If he wanted to accomplish what he intended, he'd need to be quick and precise.

The nano soldier picked up the sound of a ships engines and looked to the sky in time to see a sleek looking ship enter from the atmosphere and hover close to the ground near where the beacon was supposed to be.

"Right on time." Jason said to himself as he continued his sprint.

X

Several clicks away, the lone frigate came down from the atmosphere. Stealth systems on full to avoid detection as it hovered above the ground.

 _"We are approaching drop point two."_ came the voice of the ship's pilot, one Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, as he unloaded the three-man team to the surface.

Two men and one female had weapons in hand as they scanned the drop point for hostiles. "Ship perimeter secure, Commander." said Kaiden Alenko keeping his pistol up and biotics ready.

Commander Jane Shepard swept her assault rifle in a slow arc before nodding. "Alright, the beacon's location should be roughly a click due West. We'll have to move along the path way around this rock formation to get there." she looked toward the third member of her team. "Jenkins, you're a local. You'll be our guide on this hunt."

Jenkins nodded and gave her a thumbs up, "Yes, ma'am."

"Let's move out gentlemen." she ordered as they began heading in the direction of their objective.

X

The beacon was gone, that much Jason had been expecting when he arrived to the dig site and saw it empty save for the bodies of dead Alliance marines and Geth units.

Scanning the ground, the nano suit managed to pick up a trail of heavy footprints leading away from the site. "Looks like Saren and his mechanical toadies still managed to get here first." the nano soldier muttered as he followed the trail up into the hills.

AR in hand, he dropped down from his high vantage point and started tracking. The beacon was either on its way to the spaceport, or was already there. If he was lucky, he could catch up to them before they reached their destination.

Everything was quiet, save for the sounds of gunfire somewhere in the distance, but Jason didn't lower his guard. The Geth may have focused most of their invasion force as a diversion so they could grab the beacon, but they would have saved their best for the spaceport.

And he was going to be ready for them.

Following the path to the top of the hill, the nano soldier paused when he came across a small settlement situated on a piece of level ground. Three small buildings more than likely set up by the research teams sent to examine the dig. But the encampment was the last thing on his mind.

He was instead focused on the five devices set up just ahead of him, resembling electronic tables with long spikes that shot up into the air. And impaled on those spikes were Human corpses.

Though with the way they looked one wouldn't be able to tell since the skin was all but peeled away and the muscle and skeleton structures were made up of glowing blue and black cybernetics.

Dragon's Teeth. With newly forged Husks ready to be deployed.

Jason had yet to encounter the synthetic abominations, and the sight of them was far worse than he had originally anticipated.

 **"Scanning..."** SECOND voiced as the nano suit took readings on the devices and their creations. **"Unknown Nanites Detected. Nutrients Associated with Human Anatomy Present."** the scans went to the Dragon's Teeth. **"Source of Nanite Infection Detected. Origins: Unknown."**

 _'These people didn't deserve this.'_ the nano soldier thought bitterly, being reminded of the fate of the people of New York affected by the Ceph's nanites and how their bodies were liquidated from the inside out.

His musings were broken when he heard a mechanical whine. One of the the pilons before him collapsed in on itself, lowering the corpse that had been skewered on it closer to the ground until its back laid flat on the lower base where a small surge of power flowed through it.

There was a tense silence, Jason had his rifle firmly pressed against his shoulder as he focused on the Husk. Then he saw the left hand of the corpse twitch, it's eyes snapping open revealing bright neon-blue optics as it slowly sat up, slipping off of the machine and standing on shaking legs before standing upright with a slight hunch.

A groan that sounded like sorrow mixed with a blender on full blast echoed from its throat as it looked at the nano soldier with a face devoid of any emotion. The the Husk reared its head back and let loose a mechanical screech before charging at Jason full sprint.

His AR registered before the corpse made it three steps. A burst hitting it in the knee and blowing the limb in half, sending the Husk sprawling to the ground with black ichor spraying from the severed stump.

Oblivious to any form of pain, and the loss of one leg, the Husk started crawling across the ground. Cybernetic claws tearing the ground as it closed the distance.

Jason pressed his boot down on the creature's shoulder and pinned it down, raising his rifle and shooting it in the head. The rounds piercing through its skull and sending sparks and more ichor into the air before it fell flat, eyes dimming until going dark.

The victory was a short-lived one as the remaining spikes started to lower, depositing their synthetic payloads in separate bursts of energy as they all stood on their own feet.

Quickly switching to his shotgun, Jason also activated his omni-tool just as the small horde of Husks surged toward him. A ball of condensed plasma launched from the device and struck the lead creature, setting it ablaze while it let loose an unholy screech while it burned.

The nano soldier's shotgun registered next, blowing a fist sized hole through another Husk when it got within range. A second blast followed that took a third's arm off at the shoulder before the weapon overheated. The last Husk leapt forward at him, arms outstretched in an attempt to latch onto its victim.

 **"Maximum Armor"** When the Husk grabbed him, it started racking its claws along the suit's skin. But finding no purchase as Jason grabbed it by the neck and chokeslammed it to the ground before raising his foot and stomping down onto the corpse's head. Crushing it beneath his boot.

 **"Warning! EMP Surge Detected!"** The nano soldier barely had a moment to register SECOND's warning before the armless Husk was covered in energy that exploded out of it in all directions. Jason taking the brunt of the blast as the electricity flowed over the suit and made the systems go haywire.

 **"Energy Depleted! Multiple Systems Disrupted!"**

Jason shook off the shockwave and swung his shotgun like a baseball bat. Striking the Husk in the head and knocking it to the ground where he blasted it before it could get back up. "SECOND, status." he said as his HUD continued to flicker.

 **"System Repairs in Progress..."** Seconds ticked by before everything went back to normal.

 **"System Rebooting."** The HUD stablized as all of the nano suits systems came back online and the energy meter recharged to full.

"Any lasting damage?" the nano soldier questioned the AI as he vented the shotgun.

 **"Negative. All Programs Functioning Normally."** replied SECOND.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jason glared down at the synthetic-zombies. "Alright, avoid close-range with these things if possible. Can't risk the suit shorting out in combat."

After making sure that there weren't anymore Husks or patrolling Geth nearby. He made checked the research buildings to make sure that they were secured tight before continuing his original plotted path. Coming to the top of a tall hill that overlooked the spaceport below.

And off in the distance, the nano soldier could see Sovereign touched down on the farthest edge of the colony. Arcs of red energy dancing along its massive frame giving it an even more foreboding and ominous look.

Tightening his grip on his weapon, Jason started making his way down to the docking area at the base of the hill. His cloak activating along the way as he drew closer.

X

Within the colony's spaceport, a lone Turian wearing black and red armor with white markings covering his face moved amongst a cluster of crates. Crouching down low behind one when he saw movement, having seen what had become of Eden Prime, he couldn't afford to take any chances. But he also didn't have time to wait for Shepard and her team to arrive either.

He waited a breath before standing, assault rifle at the ready...only to pause, mouth falling open and mandibles flared a bit when he saw someone unexpected standing there.

"Saren?" he asked shocked.

A second Turian turned slowly and looked his way. Most of his body covered in cybernetic implants including his entire left arm. His sharp, semi-glowing blue eyes locking on to the other Council Spectre before him.

"Nihlus." Saren said back calmly.

"This isn't your mission, Saren. What are you doing here?" asked Nihlus approaching his fellow Specter and friend.

Saren put a hand on his shoulder, "The Council thought you could use some help on this one. The importance of this discovery was too great for one Spectre alone." he walked past the other Turian and stood facing the other direction. "It appears they were right."

Nihlus looked around the spaceport and shook his head, "I wasn't expecting to find the Geth here. The situation's bad."

"Don't worry, Nihlus." Saren turned and trained a pistol on the back of the other Turian's head. "I've got it under control."

"NIHLUS LOOK OUT!" The Spectre spun around, having a split second to see the gun aimed at him before it went off. Pain exploding from the side of his face as the mass accelerated went through his right mandible. His shotgun went off, the aim going wide and only peppering the biotic barrier the other Turian managed to throw up at the last possible second.

Put off by the sudden shift in the situation, Saren reaimed to finish the other Spectre but found himself on the receiving end of a spear tackle. The Spectre quickly rolled back to his feet, glowing eyes narrowing as the one that struck him doing the same.

"Maverick." the Turian hissed dangerously.

"Saren." Jason said back with no less an edge. "Sorry to break up the 'friendly reunion'. But it seemed like you were going to shoot a fellow Spectre in the back."

The growl Saren emitted was boardering on feral, his biotics flowing around his part-cybernetic frame. "You will regret interfering." his talon shot out, a warp launching toward the nano soldier who rolled out of the way when it struck the metal ground where he had been.

Drawing his Hammer, Jason fired several shots that were blocked by the Spectre's barrier. The Turian in turn firing his own pistol right back and forcing him into cover.

"How do you think the Council will react when they learn of their best agent's betrayal?!" the nano soldier called out while reloading his sidearm.

"The Council has no hold over me." Saren rumbled, extending his biotics outward. "They have no idea of what is coming." the crate Jason was behind lifted into the air, the soldier spun and fired at the Spectre, his omni-tool flaring to life and launching an incinerate at him as well.

Saren dodged the tech-attack, his biotic barriers absorbing the rounds as he flung the crate at his opponent. Jason dropped his pistol and planted his feet, his hands denting into the metal as he caught the large projectile and held it with his enhanced strength before hurling it right back.

A well timed shockwave destroyed the crate before it could reach it's target, but it was enough of a distraction as the Turian was sent stumbling back when a fist connected with his face. Saren shook it off and sent a burning leer at the nano soldier as they both aimed their sidearms at one another, barrels mere inches from each others faces.

"You cannot fathom what is taking place." Saren sneered. "Your interference will stop nothing."

Jason thumbed back the hammer on his pistol. "That's where you're wrong-" A pulse round suddenly struck his shoulder, the burning impact felt clean through the nano suit and dropped his guard enough for the Turian to capitalize.

A long leg came up and connected with the nano soldier's chest, sending him skidding back a couple steps just as a group of Geth shock troopers stormed the loading docks. "Kill them all!" Saren roared before taking off in a dead run toward the tram cars on the other side of the port.

 **"Maximum Armor"** Pulse rounds peppered along Jason's chest as he returned fire. All the while glaring at where Saren had gone as he fell back behind the same cover Nhilus had taken refuge behind.

The Spectre looked rough, the round Saren had fired at him has missed its intended mark but had blown the other Turian's mandible in half. Blue blood flowing down his jaw and neck before disappearing beneath his armor.

"You still with me, Nihlus?" he asked while switching to his AR.

"Yeah...still here." the Turian rasped in obvious pain, bringing up his omni-tool and slathering a large amount of medi-gel on his face. "Dammit! What the hell's going on around here?! Why in the Spirit's names is Saren working with the Geth?!"

"We'll figure out the why later. Right now we gotta get to that Beacon before he and the Geth make off with it." Jason said back, his focuse turning to the other direction where he saw a handful of Husks and more Geth entering the port. "You better have a lot of fight left, cause there's plenty coming our way!"

The Spectre and the nano soldier nodded to one another before they stood and went on the attack.

Nihlus blasted a Husk away with his shotgun before firing an overload from his omni-tool into a Geth shock trooper before it could get a shot off. The tech-attack distupting the machine's systems enough for the Turian to offline it for good.

Jason made sure to keep his distance from the Husks, given what had happened before he couldn't chance another system overload for the nano suit. Using short-controlled bursts from his rifle, he took down the synthetic undead with well placed headshots.

Seeing a couple Geth troopers hunkered down by some crates, the nano soldier reaimed and shot a red canister sitting nearby. The following explosion sent both units flying through the air with several pieces missing.

Turning to see Nihlus' status, he caught sight of something shimmering in the air and drawing closer to his flank.

 **"Nano Vision Enabled"** When his HUD switched over, he saw the telltale form of a Geth hunter sneaking up on the unsuspecting Spectre.

"Nihlus! On your six!" Jason shouted, firing full auto at the cloaked enemy. Dropping both its shields and its invisibility and allowing the Turian to finish it off.

"Thanks for that!" Nihlus called back before shooting down another Husk.

"Thank me when when this shit is over!" the nano soldier replied as they continued to fight side by side.

X

Commander Shepard snapped her head up when she heard the sounds of combat that echoed somewhere ahead of them. Holding up her fist, the two following her haulted as they listened.

"You guys hear that?" she asked while keeping her assault rifle level.

"Sounds like we're srill in the fight." said Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, one of the marines that had been stationed on Eden Prime, also keeping her own rifle at the ready.

"It's coming from somewhere ahead of us. Stay sharp." said the Commander.

"Aye, aye ma'am." said Kaidan as they started moving a bit faster. Coming up over a hill before them that overlooked the spaceport and gave a good view of the scenery beyond.

The three soldiers stopping mid-stride when they saw something massive rising into the sky. Easily bigger than any ship they had seen before with an array of 'arms' along its sides and base, volts of red lightning and smoke trailing behind it as it gained more and more altitude.

"What the hell is that?!" the biotic shouted as they stood motionless.

"It's a ship! Look at the size of it!" Ashley exclaimed as the dreadnaught rose higher and higher until it faded from view.

Jane watched the strange ship fade, not liking the look of it in the least before shaking her head to get back into the present. "We need to get moving. The beacon has to be here somewhere." the others nodded as they began making their way toward the spaceport...only to pause a second time at what they were baring witness to.

In the middle of the docking area, Nihlus stood with someone else, both fighting against a squad of Geth and the same zombie-like creatures the team had encountered on their way in. The two fighters holding their own perfectly well as the last of the hostiles fell and everything had gone quiet.

The team continued down the slope entering the spaceport just as Nihlus finished venting his shotgun. "Commander, good to see you made it." the Spectre said in greeting.

"Same to you, Nihlus." Jane saw the side of his face and winced, "You alright?"

"I'll live. But the mission has just taken a drastic turn for the worst." the Spectre said grimly.

"That's putting it mildly."

All eyes turned to the one Nihlus had been fighting with, all three soldiers' eyes widened when they saw the black and silver armored man as he approached them.

Everyone for the last two years knew of this man, his name passing around the chain of command in the Alliance like a ghost story, and the stream of vids involving his exploits left many in awe.

For Jane Shepard, she truly wasn't expecting to run into _him_ of all people here on Eden Prime.

"Maverick." she said, her voice giving away more than a little shock.

The man stood before her and her team, his face unreadable behind his helmet and crimson visor. "Commander Shepard. It's nice to finally meet you."

 _ **A/N: And just like that, I changed plots for ME and the original Crysis Effect at the same time. I told you guys my own stuff will be added in, but I decided in the end to take it farther than even that. And this is only just the beginning. Stay tuned for more my loyal readers!**_


	19. Chapter 18

_**A/N: It has been too long since I got back into the swing of things with this particular remake. But if there is one thing I'm known for, it's keeping people on their toes. That, and there's no way in hell I'll let my mentor's old story fall into the sands of time. Not without a fight anyway.**_

 _ **So let's get this wheel rolling again!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Spaceport Docking Area - Eden Prime**

 **July 23, 2183 - 14:59 hours**

After explaining the current situation to the Commander and her team, Nihlus made his way over to Jason who was crouched down beside a dead Husk and having SECOND perform a more detailed scan on it.

"What the hell is it?" the Spectre asked.

"It _used_ to be Human." replied the nano soldier, "The Geth piked them on these machines that injected them with unknown nanites. However they work, they completely rewrote the victim's entire biology. Turning them into...this." he finished while motioning to the cybernetic abomination.

Nihlus looked at the Husk and wondered how such a horrible fate was even possible. "As much as I'm glad you're here, I gotta ask, why are you on Eden Prime?"

Jason stood up and adjusted his grip on his rifle, "When news of the beacon started spreading I figured the Alliance could use a little extra insurance incase other parties became too interested in it. I arrived a couple days ago before the attack, been trying to help repel the Geth and assist where I can."

The Spectre nodded, running a talon over his still healing face, "I never got a chance to thank you. Saren was a good friend and mentor, I never expected him to suddenly work with the Geth...or try to shoot me in the back."

"You can thank me when we get the bastard for causing all of this." said the nano soldier as they moved to regroup with the others.

X

Jane Shepard kept glancing over to where Nihlus was talking with the vigilante that had provided some very unexpected assistance.

Like many in the Alliance, she knew about Maverick and his exploits on the Citadel. Including the attack orchestrated by the Eclipse on the Presidium that he helped repel with C-Sec.

He was by far the most sought after by the Alliance Brass for recruitment. She'd seen the footage of his combat prowess and was amazed at what he was capable of in a hostile situation. It was no wonder why so many people were hoping to have him on their side.

"So that's him, huh?" asked Kaidan looking in the same direction she was after they finished checking on the handful of dock workers that had taken refuge during the attack. "Guess he lives up to his reputation." the biotic said as he observed the bodies of the dismantled Geth around them.

"Is he even Human?" asked Ashley looking the suited man over. "From the vids I've seen he's stronger and faster than anything that could be considered normal for a Human. And the way he took down those mercs those years ago? Even N7 Commandos couldn't take down that many hostiles that quickly with such precision."

"Perhaps we should be asking him." said Jane as the man in question and the Spectre started making their way over to them.

"Commander Shepard. It's an honor to finally meet you." Jason said shaking her hand with a proper introduction. "You've got quite the long standing reputation."

"The feeling's mutual, Maverick. You're well known in the Alliance systems." said Jane smiling.

"Of course. I receive one of their recruitment flyers at least once a week. Got to give them points for persistence." said the nano soldier.

"Considering everything you've done I'm surprised you haven't joined up. The Alliance could definitely benefit with having someone like you on their side." said Ashley having to look up at the large man.

Jason tilted his head and crossed his arms, "I'll tell you the same thing I've told all of the Alliance higher-ups that have come to me with the same speech." he leaned forward slightly, "I fight for more than just Humanity. It doesn't matter to me the species or culture someone is, their lives matter to others and I'll fight to preserve those lives."

He leaned back, "And besides, I have a feeling that the Alliance would benefit more from my hardware than my skills as a soldier."

"Maverick's helped the people of the Citadel, the council and the Alliance on several occasions ever since he helped stop the Eclipse's attack on the tower. His position to stay neutral is well respected." said Nihlus.

The nano soldier looked toward where the tram terminal was situated, SECOND picking up on the cargo system transport returning. "The tram Saren took is coming back this way. And I can guarantee that it's going to have company on it."

"Well then, let's not keep them waiting." said Jane as the team of five made their way to the terminal. The tram having just arrived with a squad of Geth storming the docking area. One of which was a Destroyer that immediately opened fire on them.

The team scattered into cover, picking off the synthetics as they made their way onto the tram. Kaidan rose up, omni-tool flaring as he launched an overload that struck the larger Geth's shields and took them down with a burst of static. "It's shields are down!" he called out as they all resumed shooting.

Jason switched his rifle for his bow, knocking an explosive arrow and letting it fly straight into the Destroyer's optic. It's upper half vanished in a blast of heat and metal while the legs collapsed to the ground.

When the last of the Geth fell, the team made their way to the front car. "Still have to get me one of those." said Nihlus as he watched the nano soldier fold up his bow and take his assault rifle back out.

"Never thought I'd see an old school bow and arrow do something like that." Ashley threw in, impressed with the results of a weapon that was by all rights primitive.

"With the right amount of know-how and the right upgrades, you'd be surprised what can be improved on hundreds of years of human armaments." commented Jason as Shepard activated the tram and they started making their way in the direction Saren had been going.

"If you don't mind my asking, what were you doing on Eden Prime?" asked the Commander. "Not that I'm complaining for the assistance, it just seems like odd timing."

The nano soldier rolled his shoulders, "You have good instincts, Commander. I came here to provide help for the Alliance at a distance. Like I told Nihlus here, information about active and intact Prothean tech is bound to garner a lot of attention. Turns out I was right in the end." he said while looking out at the columns of smoke coming from different parts of the colony.

"Anything you can tell us that we don't already know?" asked Kaiden. "Like why the Geth are working with a Council Spectre that turned rogue?"

As much as he wanted to tell them everything, he needed to keep a low profile on what he knew for the time being. "Not sure completely. Saren's one of the Council's best, whatever he's getting out of siding with the Geth is obviously worth turning his back on the galaxy, along with shooting a friend and student in the back." Jason looked at Nihlus while the Spectre was applying another layer of medi-gel to his facial wound.

"Then we better stop him before he makes off with the beacon." said Jane as the tram continued along its path.

X

On the other end of the facility, Saren moved toward a lone Geth Shock Trooper that was before him. "Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence that we were here." he ordered.

The Geth platform clicked in confirmation before setting out to do its designated task while the Turian made his way to the Prothean beacon that was set up on the other side of the platform.

Wisps of green energy emitting from the tall device as he stood in front of it for a moment before being hoisted in the air by an unseen force.

Elsewhere, the Geth forces finished setting large explosive devices around their section of the spacport. After arming the last one, a Geth Shock Trooper looked toward the nearby tram station as the mobile platform approached.

X

The tram came to a stop at the station on the far end of the colony, before they stepped off the transport SECOND reported in Jason's ear. **"Explosive Device Detected."**

Snapping his head around, the nano soldier saw one of the bombs that had been set up by the Geth. "They've rigged the place!" he called out, firing his rifle into the synthetic standing by the bomb before jogging over to it. Placing his hand on the device and letting SECOND take over.

 **"Connection Established."** the AI made quick work of slicing into the explosive's inner workings and disarming it. **"Multiple Explosive Devices Detected."** three nav-points appeared on the nano soldier's HUD with the location of the other bombs.

"Three more bombs, Five minute countdown! Any of those go off will trigger a chain-reaction that'll level the colony." he reported to the rest of the team.

"Alenko, you're on bomb detail. We'll cover you." Shepard ordered as they spread out.

More Geth units greeted them and opened fire, trying to keep the team from getting to the bombs and allowing the timers on them to run down.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason pulled out his shotgun and barreled through the synthetic ranks. His weapon registering several times and reducing the metal platforms to salvage as he cut their numbers down in close quarters.

A Shock Trooper attempted to get a shot at his exposed flank only to get an overheated shotgun against its head, stunning it long enough for the nano soldier to charge into it, driving his fist through the platform's chest. Sparks and white fluid spraying through the air when he yanked his arm out it.

"Bomb disarmed!" Kaidan called out as they started moving toward the next one.

Nihlus blew a Geth platform away with his shotgun, bringing up his omni-tool and firing an overload into another and giving Ashley the chance to put it down. "They're dead set on wiping this place out, we can't let that happen!" he called out when they reached the next bomb.

A Geth Juggernaut stomped out into the open and unloaded its pulse weapons on the squad, Jane unfolded her sniper rifle and fired a precision shot directly into the synthetic's weapon. The round damaging the firing mechanism and making it useless as the Commander switched to her assault rifle and unloaded into the large platform until its shields broke and its body collapsed with holes punched through it.

The team made it to the next bomb that had three Shock Troopers standing guard around it, all of them being gunned down in record time while the biotic tech expert quickly went to work at disarming it.

"These things don't know the meaning of 'self-preservation' do they?" said Ashley as she put a cluster of rounds into a Geth that was still twitching.

"They're machines. Software. Their physical bodies don't matter to them." said Jason, popping the flashlight-head of another platform when they stood out of cover.

Kaiden finished with the third bomb and the squad made their way to the last one. Being sure to take out any opposition that stood in their way until the situation became stable again.

"All bombs disarmed, Commander." the biotic reported when they last device was shut down.

"Nice work everyone." said Jane before turning toward the opening that led to another platform next to where the bomb was set up, switching to her assault rifle. "Now let's find that beacon." with confirmation all around, they headed in that direction, finding themselves overlooking a small docking area where several large crates were set up below.

And among the crates was the glowing form of the Prothean beacon.

"There it is!" Ashley said pointing toward it.

"Well then we better make sure it's secured before more Geth arrive?" said Nihlus as they all moved a little more quickly down the catwalk and the ramp at the end. The team of five coming to a stop when they were greeted with the sight of four sets of dragon's teeth lowering to the ground and unleashing four Husks on them.

"Open fire!" Shepard shouted as they fired into the synthetic-undead. Rounds tearing into their cybernetic flesh and spraying the ground with their blackened blood. Two of them managed to reach the team, one was greeted with the butt of the Commander's rifle while the other met the heel of Jason's boot as he kicked it off its feet.

His foot coming down again on the Husk's skull and crushing it beneath his heel.

A moment of silence passed as they all took the time to reload and check the area to be sure they were in the clear. "We're good, ma'am." said Ashley once they made a good sweep.

Shepard nodded and got on her comm, " _Normandy_ , the beacon is secure. Requesting immediate evac."

 _"Rodger that, Commander. Making our approach. ETA two minutes."_ Joker replied.

Kaidan, Ashley and Nhilus all stepped a little closer to the device while Jason kept his distance. Knowing what the device was capable of he preferred not to get too close to it.

Even though the nano suit was made up of Ceph components, introducing another variant of alien tech into it could have effects that he wouldn't be prepared for.

"This is amazing." said Kaidan in awe. "Actual working Prothean technology. Incredible!"

"It wasn't doing anything like that when they dug it up." said Ashley confused. "Maybe something activated it when it was moved."

"You all did fine work today." said Nhilus. "This beacon could have a treasure trove of information that could be of great aid to all our species." he looked to Ashley with understanding, "And the people who gave their lives to protect it will not be forgotten. They did the whole galaxy proud this day."

The Gunnery Chief was quiet a moment before she nodded in thanks to the Spectre.

 **"Warning! Unknown Energy Surge Detected!"** SECOND suddenly reported in Jason's ear, the nano soldier snapped his head toward the beacon as it flared brightly. Ashley, being the closest to the artifact, found herself being pulled toward it which prompted Jane to run to the Gunnery Chief's side and throw her out of harms way before she was pulled into the beacon's field and lifted from the ground.

Every fiber in the nano soldier's being was screaming for him to charge in after her, but he kept himself firmly planted. This needed to happen, that much he knew. Without the Prothean Beacon in the Commander's possession the mission against Saren would be unsuccessful.

Within seconds, the beacon exploded. The blast sending Shepard hurling back and crashing to the ground in a heap. Blood dripping from her nose, her eyes rolled into the back of her head as she fell unconscious.

Jason quickly approached then while the others gathered around her, placing his palm over Jane's chest and allowing SECOND to scan her thoroughly;

"She's alive, but needs medical attention." he reported just as the _Normandy_ made its approach. The cargo doors opened revealing a squad of marines coming down the ramp weapons ready. Doctor Chakwas and a couple of her aids right behind them as they approached the team.

After a brief explanation to all of them, the medical team loaded the Commander on to a stretcher and wheeled her toward the ship, Nhilus right with them while Kaidan and Ashley helped the marines gather the pieces of the destroyed beacon and loaded them on board.

Once everything was secured, the Turian Spectre looked back to see the nano soldier stepping into the cargo hold of the _Normandy_ as well. Several Alliance marines stumbled back at his arrival and gave a wide birth, no doubt knowing the man's reputation.

Looking toward the elevator where Shepard was taken with the medical crews as the ship rose into the air and made for the atmosphere, Nihlus brought up his omni-tool. He needed to contact the council as soon as possible about what had happened on Eden Prime, and about Saren going rogue along with the beacon's destruction.

It was a complete mess. And the council wasn't going to be pleased with the turn of events.

The Spectre sent another glance at Maverick who had taken a seat on a crate in the corner of the cargo hold and was seemingly staring at nothing. If there was one thing the Turian was grateful for, it was the soldier's timely arrival. Things could have been a lot worse had he not stepped in at the right time.

But there was still no telling where things were going to go from there.

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: Very small chapter compared to the previous ones, but I needed a small step stone to get back in the swing of things. Still a bit rusty when it comes to certain stories and trying my best to shake the cobwebs out for all your benefit._**

 ** _I'm already plotting out the next chapter for this fic. For now you can all rest easy knowing I'm making progress again. Till next time guys!_**


	20. Chapter 19

_**A/N: And I'm back in the saddle again people! And it feels good to be back!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Approaching Citadel Space**

 **July 24, 2183 - 07:17 hours**

It had been over 15 hours since the _Normandy_ left Eden Prime, since then it had been business as usual for the crew of the prototype stealth frigate. Save for one of the handful of recent additions on board as the vessel made its trip back to the Citadel.

Jason had remained in the cargo hold in the same spot he had first taken up when he came onto the ship. The crew had gone out of their way to leave him be, save for a couple the looked at him at a distance as if he was some kind of mythical creature come to life.

Given his current resume, he wasn't surprised in the slightest.

Even though on the outside it he resembled a statue, inside he was going over all of the data he and SECOND had collected on the Geth, Husks, and the energy reading's they picked up from the beacon before it went critical. Filing away any and all useful data to the codex he started compiling on the Reapers since he realized the Eclipse attack on the Citadel was due to Sovereign's influence.

His biggest concern at the moment was the Husks' electrical attack which shorted out the nano suit similar to an EMP. He'd have to be sure to keep the synthetic corpses at a distance to avoid the same incident to happen again.

 **"Proximity Alert."** SECOND reported. The screens of data on the nano soldier's HUD disappeared when he saw Captain Anderson approaching him from the elevator.

"Something I can help you with, Captain?" he asked, turning his head in the man's direction and being the first time he had moved in hours.

"A few of the crew mentioned that you were down here and hadn't moved since we left Eden Prime, figured I'd at least come down to say hello." replied Anderson.

Jason stood from the crate, "A lot of things happened down there, was just going over the data I collected encase it becomes important later." he had also caught a couple hours of sleep, but the Captain didn't need to know that.

Anderson nodded grimly, "Nhilus gave me the full rundown, the council was far from pleased to learn that one of their best Spectres not only attacked a Human colony and allied with the Geth, but also attempted to kill another Spectre in cold blood. A full investigation has been launched by C-Sec to locate any and all information behind the attack and what his motives could have been behind it."

"Have they figured out what they're going to do about Saren?" asked the nano soldier.

"Not yet. Without knowing where he's going or what he's doing they'd be flying blind." answered the Captain.

Nodding back, knowing that information on this matter was key to taken Saren down since he couldn't unveil everything he knew about this universe. "What about Shepard?" Jason asked.

"Nothing yet. Chakwas says that physically she's fine, but there's no way of knowing what the beacon did to her. She won't know more until-" Anderson stopped when his omni-tool chimed with an incoming message. "Speak of the devil. She's awake now."

The two men headed to the elevator and rode it up to the crew deck of the ship where the infirmary was located. Stepping off the lift, Jason took notice of Nhilus sitting at one of the tables in the mess hall and approached him while Anderson went to debrief the Commander.

"Nhilus, how's the face?"

The Spectre smirked as best he could with a cybernetic patch covering the wound he had sustained, "Been better. Was surprised the medical officer on board knows so much about xeno-physiology, she says I should make a full recovery."

"I hear that some chicks dig scars. Could work in your favor." Jason tossed in casually, getting a chuckle out of the Turian. They settled back into silence as the nano soldier became serious, "I know it can't be easy, knowing what your mentor did."

Nhilus' talons tightened into fists, "His Spectre status was revoked, and the council is working with C-Sec to uncover his motives, but honestly, to me, that's not enough. A lot of people in the Traverse consider us Spectres outlaws at the beck and call of the council, in some ways they're right, but we do what we can to keep the galaxy a safer place. To do the jobs that no one else can."

"For one of Saren to pull something like this, going rogue and attacking innocent colonies, it's more than just treason to the council, to the people of Citadel space. It's an insult to us Turians as well. There's still avarice between our kind after the First Contact War, this will cause a lot of problems."

Jason nodded, "Maybe, but the only one to blame for all this is Saren. Especially since he tried to kill you."

Their conversation was interrupted when Ashley joined them, "Any word on the Commander?" she asked with her eyes trained on the infirmary.

"Nothing yet." replied the nano soldier, "Don't go blaming yourself what happened, Chief. No one knew how the beacon would react. And Shepard made her choice to help you without a second thought. If she's even half of what the stories I've heard about her is true, she'd stick her neck out for anyone in need."

Ashley sighed and took a seat at the table, keeping her distance from Nhilus Jason noticed quickly. "I can't help it, just seeing that thing light up that way..."

"Ancient technology that still functions, can't say I wasn't overly curious myself." said Nhilus as he looked to the Gunnery Chief, "None of what happened was your fault, Williams. We know it, and so does the Commander."

The marine didn't reply, all of them perking up when the door to the infirmary opened. Captain Anderson stepped out first quickly followed by a now awake Commander Jane Shepard.

"Captain and Commander on deck!" Ashley exclaimed, quickly standing at attention.

"At ease, Williams. No need for formalities at the moment." replied Jane as she looked from each of them.

"We'll be approaching the Citadel soon, we'll be meeting with Ambassador Udina and the council to file our reports and discuss what to so about Saren." said Anderson, "Commander, try to take it easy for a while." he added before making his way to his quarters.

Jane watched the man she considered like a father leave before turning her attention to the new additions to the _Normandy's_ crew. "The Captain informed me about your reassignment, Williams. Happy to have you aboard." she said to Ashley.

"Proud to be here, Ma'am." replied the Gunnery Chief. "Still sorry about what happened. Can't help taking the blame for your condition."

"Don't, I'd do it again for anyone in my unit." replied the Commander honestly, her green eyes addressing Jason. "I am a bit surprised that you're here, Maverick."

"We were heading to the same place. Hope you don't mind me hitching a ride." replied the nano soldier. "That beacon really knocked you for a loop, any lasting affects?"

Jane rubbed her forehead, "Bit of a headache now, the beacon beamed some kind of a message into my brain. Gave me some really strange dreams."

Nhilus hummed in thought, "Did any of it make sense?"

"Death. I saw organics being killed by machines. Their body's being twisted into something horrible, like those Husks we encountered on Eden Prime." answered the Commander.

"Sounds like a warning." said Jason, "Whatever happened to the Protheans to cause them to go extinct obviously made them leave something behind to let others know of their fate." he saw the looks he was getting and explained further, "If you think about it, it makes sense. How many cultures in Human history left some kind of message in artifacts about their era before they vanished?"

The Commander thought about it and realized that he had a point, "Makes sense. Still, it's hard to completely understand right now."

 _"Attention crew! We're now approaching the Citadel, thank you for flying Air-Joker!"_ came the pilot's voice over the PA system.

Jane rolled her eyes at the man's antics, "Better get ready." she said as they all made their way to the bridge.

Jason paused when his omni-tool signaled about an incoming transmission. Stepping back a ways for privacy, he brought up the call and saw that it was Garrus contacting him; "Detective, what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

 _"No doubt you've heard about what happened on Eden Prime?"_ the Turian C-Sec stated rather than asked.

"I was there, so yeah I'm in the know." replied the nano soldier.

 _"Then you also know about the council having C-Sec dig up anything they can on Saren and why he targeted the colony."_

"And I can assume that you're one of the officers assigned to the job." said Jason, "So I can also assume this is a business call."

 _"You'd assume right."_ answered Garrus, _"I got a lead on someone who might have vital intel on the attack. A Quarian woman who was attacked outside the embassies was reportedly looking for help. I got a tip about where she could have gone for treatment."_

The nano soldier knew right away who he was talking about, "Sounds like a good enough lead, but why call me?"

 _"Can't think of anyone else who can get information as quickly and effectively. We need all the help we can get putting the screws to Saren for what he's done."_

"Send me the coordinates to the clinic and I'll meet you there when I get to the Citadel." the call ended after that soon followed by a message on Jason's omni-tool on how to get to the medical clinic, even though he already knew how to get there.

X

When the _Normandy_ docked with the Citadel and the crew disembarked and made their way to the Presidium. Jane coming to a stop when she noticed they were a man short.

"Where's Maverick?" she asked, causing the others to look around for him.

Nhilus' omni-tool went off and read a message from the man himself; "He went on ahead, something about a lead he got on Saren's activities. He said he'll meet up with us later."

"Won't he need backup encase of trouble?" wondered Kaiden.

"Trust me, after what I've seen myself, he'll be fine." replied the Spectre as they all continued on their way.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Medical Clinic - Lower Wards**

 **July 24, 2183 - 08:25 hours**

Jason kept the the shadows as he drew closer to the medical clinic. Parking his skycar farther down the block in an empty alley deciding to go in on foot to meet up with Garrus.

Checking his surroundings for the last time, the Post-Human headed toward the entrance to the clinic where the Turian detective was waiting. "Took your sweet time getting here, Maverick." said Garrus from his spot against the wall by the door.

"I can't really just walk through public detective. I had to take the long route." replied the nano soldier as they stepped into the clinic.

The place was empty save for the lone woman sitting at a desk in the back. Dr. Chloe Michel looked up from the reports she was working on at the two men that entered her clinic. "Hello, is there something I can do for the two of you?" she asked, standing.

"Dr. Michel, Garrus Vakarian, C-Sec." said Garrus shaking her hand lightly.

Michel looked from the Turian investigator to the large Human in black and silver armor. Her eyes traveled up to the crimson red visor as he looked down at her. "I've seen you around. You're Maverick, aren't you?"

"Yes ma'am. We're here to talk about a Quarian woman that came to visit your clinic recently. She would have sustained a gunshot wound during a firefight in the Presidium Commons." said Jason.

The doctor nodded as she picked up a datapad from her desk, "Yes, I remember her. She came in the other day with a wound in her shoulder. She'd been running a fever due to the type of round used and the suit rupture." she said reading it over.

"What kind of round was used?" asked Garrus.

Michel handed him the datapad, "Polonium. The radioactive chemicals contained in the bullet in combination with her weakened immune system made her very ill. I had to work quickly within a sterile room to remove the round and administer enough anti-biotics to help fight the infection."

"Can you tell us if she mentioned about why she was targeted?" asked Jason.

"She said something about having vital information and was looking for a way to trade it for safety. She passed out from the fever shortly after that before I could get anything more. I was about to call C-Sec about the incident when you two walked in." said the doctor.

"Is she still here?" asked Garrus. Michel nodded as she lead them toward the back of the clinic.

"Her fever broke hours ago, and medi-gel helped heal her wounds. But I wanted to keep her here for a day or two to ensure that she was healthy again." said the woman as she opened the door.

The three froze seeing the room vacant, the bed empty. "She's gone." said Michel going around the room to look things over. Jason's visor scanned the room, having SECOND check for any abnormalities.

His HUD zoomed in on an open air vent on the floor in the corner of the room. "This is how she got out." he said walking over to the vent and inspecting it. "She must have slipped away once she had her strength back."

"If she's running we can assume that she might not be so innocent." said Garrus.

The vigilante shoot him a look, "Can you blame her, Vakarian? Quarians aren't really held in such high regard here on the Citadel. The discrimination coupled with being shot probably gave her a very low view of who can help her." he turned to Michel, "Doctor, can you think of anywhere she could have gone to pawn off her data?"

She thought hard for several moments, "There is a crime lord that goes by the name of Fist. It is rumored that he is an agent of the Shadow Broker. If she has vital information that is of any value the Shadow Broker would buy it. Fist runs Chora's Den, a gentleman's club that's farther up the ward, he'd be the closest contact."

Garrus' mandibles flared slightly, "Fist is well known at C-Sec. The bastard always finds a way around the law and avoids prosecution. If he has connections with the Shadown Broker it's no surprise how he avoids law enforcement."

Jason brought up his omni-tool and brought up all the information SECOND could locate on Fist. "Then we better get to her before she contacts Fist. According to this, Fist has a hit out on him by the Shadow Broker, a Krogan bounty hunter is currently after him."

"If that's the case, then our witness could be in serious trouble if Fist isn't working for the Shadow Broker anymore." said Garrus.

Bidding Dr. Michel goodbye, the duo quickly left the clinic and made their way through the ward toward Chora's Den. "We got a plan?" asked Jason as they went through a couple back alleys.

"We can't just storm the club guns blazing, too many innocent bystanders could be hurt in the crossfire. We just need to find the Quarian before Fist gets ahold of her." said Garrus as they exited the last alley and approached the gentlemen's club.

"You two going after Fist?" asked a deep rumble of a voice.

The two turned and saw a large Krogan in blood red armor with a scarred face approaching them. Red slitted eyes looked them both over for a brief moment before settling on the nano soldier. "Maverick, heard a lot about you around this place. You leave a good amount of death and destruction in your wake."

Jason crossed his arms over his chest, "Urdnot Wrex. Krogan bounty hunter known for excessive bloodshed and getting the job done. Was wondering when I'd run into you. I take it your the one hired by the Shadow Broker to take out Fist?" he said standing tall before the large Krogan.

"I am. Fist made the grave error of crossing the worst person in the galaxy." said Wrex. "The Shadow Broker wants him dead. And I don't leave a job unfinished."

"I can't let you do that." said Garrus reminding the two that he was there as well. "And you won't get away with killing a man in cold blood, no matter who he's crossed."

Wrex took an intimidating step forward, "And whose going to stop me, Turian? You?" he growled making to reach for the Claymore shotgun folded up on his back. Garrus didn't back down an inch as he flipped the safety off on his sidearm.

"Enough!" Jason shouted catching the attention of the two aliens. "Look, no matter how you slice it we're both after the same thing." he looked at Garrus, "Fist is a shifty crime lord who steps on whoever he wants for his own needs. If he winds up dead not a whole lot of people will shed a tear over it. Christ, how many criminal scumbags have I put six feet under in the last two and a half years?"

The nano soldier looked at Wrex next, "If you want Fist dead that's one thing. But we're not going to put innocent people in the crosshairs just so you can complete your job. So if you want to help us take him down and save our witness then fine, but your following our lead until we get to who we're looking for. Deal?"

The Krogan warlord narrowed his eyes at the Post-Human, "You expect me to just follow your orders?"

"You want Fist, you help us. Everybody wins. You got a problem with that you're on your own. You try to shoot us in the back, I'll rip your damn headplate off and use it as an ashtray." Jason said evenly, not breaking eye contact.

Wrex kept glaring for several moments before he started chuckling, "Heh, you got a quad on you, Maverick. You definitely live up to the reputation." the Krogan squared his shoulders, "Alright, I'll follow your lead. But Fist is mine at the end of this."

Jason nodded as they began to head toward the club again. "Are you crazy?" whispered Garrus. "You just made a deal with a bounty hunter. A _Krogan_ bounty hunter at that."

"Just covering all of our bases." replied the nano soldier. "Best case scenario, we have a heavy hitter on our side if shit goes bad. Worst case scenario, he'll turn on us and I'll have to put him down, and I'd rather do that right off when he does it instead of later where he might have help."

Garrus nodded and let the matter drop. Jason knew damn well that Wrex was trustworthy despite being deadly around the edges, he knew honor and would hold true to it even in the face of death.

And with Wrex and Garrus covering his six, successfully getting to Tali was looking better and better.

X

Chora's Den was nothing more than a watered down version of Afterlife. Deep red lighting, loud beating music, scantily clad strippers and waitresses moving about all around the club with drunken patrons drooling after them.

The biggest difference is that Aria at least knew how to show her customers a good time.

Jason looked around the large room with his visor activated. Over a dozen guards and bouncers were tagged and highlighted on his HUD as he, Garrus and Wrex walked through the semi-crowded club toward the back where Fist's office was located.

"Seems no matter where you go in the galaxy, you always end up finding a bunch of Asari shaking their asses." commented Wrex looking around the club for threats.

Garrus shook his head as they entered the back area and approached a Krogan that was standing guard at the only door. "Back off, private area." grunted the Krogan bouncer as they stood in front of him.

"Here to see Fist. Got a few questions for him." said Jason.

"Too bad. The boss is with someone right now and can't afford to be disturbed." said the bouncer not moving.

"That someone wouldn't happen to be a Quarian now would it?" asked Garrus preparing for a possible fight.

The bouncer's eyes widened a slight fraction. That was more than enough for Jason. "I suggest you stand aside, or things will become unpleasant for you very quickly." he said. Garrus and Wrex drawing their weapons behind him.

Everything happened very quickly. The bouncer went to charge only to be slammed into the wall with enough force to dent the metal. **"Maximum Power."** Jason grabbed the Krogan's face in his hand and smashed his head hard against the wall making another dent and knocking the bouncer out cold.

"Now that he's out of the way." said Jason drawing his Hammer pistol and opening the door revealing a flight of stairs leading up to Fist's office. "Let's get our Quarian and deal with this asshole."

The trio stepped up the stairs slowly, making sure to make as little noise as possible as they approached the office. Jason held up his fist making Wrex and Garrus freeze. He pressed his head close to the locked door hearing voices from inside. One female with an accent, the other male. "They're inside, get ready."

Firing up his omni-tool, the vigilante quickly hacked the door. The second the door opened the three stormed the room guns up making the two occupants of the room jump.

Jason recognized the man in the red and black suit and tie behind the desk as Fist, SECOND confirming the man's identity after a quick scan. But it was the Quarian woman that he recognized much quicker.

And standing in the center of the room wearing an enviro-suit with various colors of blue, purple and silver with a purple visor was Tali'Zorah nar Rayya.

"Who the fuck are you!" Fist shouted reaching for a switch on his desk. Jason aimed and fired his pistol, punching a hole through the crime lord's shoulder, splashing blood across the glass window behind him and causing him to cry out in pain.

"I'd sit down if I were you." said the nano soldier darkly before turning to the still stunned Quarian. "Are you alright miss?"

Tali nodded hesitantly, "Wh-What's going on?" she asked looking at the three heavily armed people aiming their weapons at Fist.

"We just saved your life. Fist isn't working for the Shadow Broker anymore, Wrex here was hiredto kill the bastard for betraying him." explained Jason.

The Quarian's back stiffened as he turned back to Fist who was sitting in his chair holding his bleeding shoulder. "Out of curiosity Fist, who were you going to set this poor girl up with for the data she has?"

Fist gnashed his teeth, "I ain't saying a fucking thing."

"Just let me kill him. It'll be quick." said Wrex racking his shotgun.

"No Wrex, he might have information that might be useful." said Garrus trying to avoid bloodshed.

Jason walked across the room, holstering his pistol as he stood in front of the desk. He grabbed the edge of the table and gripped hard. **"Maximum Power."** he ripped the desk from the floor and threw it across the room, slamming loudly against the far wall. "Feel like talking now? Or do I have to tear off a limb or two?"

The crime lord paled at the display. "...Saren...I work for Saren Arterius. He paid me more than the Shadow Broker ever did, in exchange I help him gather intelligence on whatever he needs. When he heard about the Quarian having information on him he paid me to send assassins after her to make sure no one got a hold of it."

Tali's eyes narrowed, "You lying bosht'et! Those where your men that attacked me outside the Presidium!"

"And it would have worked out. How was I suppose to know that a suit rat was that good in com-" Fist was cut off by another gunshot. A wound similar to the one on his right shoulder blew open on his left. The crime lord cried out in agony as his arms both hung limply at his sides with blood dripping down them onto the floor.

Jason lowered his Hammer, barrel still smoking. "One of my closest friends is a Quarian. I suggest you keep those comments to yourself, you might live a little longer. Now then," he stepped forward and looked down at the wounded and weak man. "I want to know everything you know about Saren. If you're one of his information brokers then you should know something vital."

Fist groaned, "I don't...know shit. He keeps mostly to himself. Only telling me what I need to know and what to look for. But...he started acting strange a few months ago."

"Strange how?" asked Garrus now curious.

"I'm not sure. He was a real hardass to start with. But everything started to change after he discovered something." said Fist.

"What did he discover?" asked Jason already knowing where things might be going.

"I'm not sure, but whatever it was it had him acting like he had a bigger purpose than being the council's puppet." replied Fist. "Christ, it almost seemed like he was talking to something that only he could hear a lot of the time. That's all I really know."

The nano soldier nodded before taking a step back, "Wrex, collect your bounty." Fist's eyes widened and opened his mouth only to be silenced by the loud 'boom' of a shotgun discharging. The once powerful crime lord fell back in his chair onto the floor with his chest blown open, a large pool of blood already forming around his corpse.

"What that really necessary?!" Garrus said loudly as Jason walked past him.

"You saying he didn't deserve it?" the Post-Human asked looking in his direction. "How many people do you think he killed, or had killed, simply because he was a greedy bastard only looking out for himself?" he looked back at the corpse before going back to the detective. "It may not be _legal_ justice. But sometimes you have to follow your instincts and do the right thing, no matter how difficult it may seem."

Moving on, he approached Tali who had her back turned to the room. "Ma'am, we never got your name before all of this."

She was silent a moment before turning to him. "Tali. Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. I can't believe Fist was setting me up, I knew I shouldn't have trusted him." she said shaking her head.

"You had no idea of knowing how valuable the data you have really was. Or the lengths people would go to get it. But right now we need your help." Jason said calmly. "The data you have, if it really has something on Saren Arterius and could help us find out why he targeted Eden Prime we need to get it to the council before he can slip away."

Tali rubbed her hands together, "I was hoping to sell the data for protection. But I guess I owe you my life for saving me from a trap."

"We'll keep you safe from here on out." said Garrus honestly. "But we should get moving. The sooner we get this data to the council, the faster Saren can be tracked down."

"And we better do it fast.:" said Wrex as he glared out of the office window down into the club below. "Because Fist's thugs must have heard the commotion and are preparing for war down there."

Jason came over and looked down, the warlord was right. All of the patrons and dancers were gone. The original 12 thugs he tagged were still highlighted on his HUD, but he quickly tagged over eight more as they all took up places around the club and waited for them.

"Their all armed, small arms mostly. A few shotguns and assault rifles in the mix. No armor or shields." Jason broadcasted. **"Tactical Options Avaliable."** "When we reach the ground floor we split off into two groups. Covering both sides of the club and making sure no one gets behind us."

"Can the Quarian even hold a gun?" asked the old Krogan.

His answer was the sound of a shotgun racking and Tali stalking past them toward the stairs. "I'm slightly injured and have a cold. But that doesn't mean I don't know how to shoot." she paused at the door before glaring at Wrex with narrowed, glowing eyes. "And my name is Tali." she growled as she went down the stairs.

The three men looked at each other. Wrex shrugged, "Women." Readying weapons, they followed after Tali just in time to see her take down a thug armed with an assault rifle at the base of the stairs.

Jason starred down the sight of this AR before putting a round through a thug's head as he poked up from behind a table.

Garrus scooped up the first thug's discarded rifle and took down two thugs as they tried to regroup into cover. Those he missed were taken out by the loud register of Wrex's Claymore.

Like Jason had planned, the four split into two teams. Jason and Tali went right, Garrus and Wrex went left. Each group gunning down any thugs that came up to shoot at them.

 **"Maximum Armor."** rounds bounced harmlessly off of the nano soldier's suit as he stood in front of Tali as she switched her overheated shotgun for her sidearm. Pulling a grenade from his belt, he primed it before lobbing the device over the bar where three thrugs had taken refuge.

The following explosion sending the now dead men scattering everywhere.

Wrex's heavy foot connected hard with a thug's chest. Shattering the poor man's ribcage and sending him through a nearby table. Garrus jumped out of cover and took out another that was attempting to shoot at them from the elevated stage in the center of the club.

The whole firefight was over in two minutes. The bodies of close to 20 thugs laid scattered across the club that now looked like a small warzone. "Ha! That was fun." said Wrex shouldering his Claymore.

Garrus looked at all of the destruction and shook his head, "This...is going to cause a lot of paper work." he muttered.

"Come on, we need to get to the council with the data." said Jason as they double timed it.

Along the way, Jason noticed Wrex still following them. "Your contract was completed, why you sticking around Wrex?

The warlord grinned, "If your helping to go after Saren I wouldn't mind being a part of it. Should make for one hell of a good fight. And seeing what you did to Fist and his men back there, you could be someone I could stand to be around longer than a few seconds."

The Post-Human didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. He decided to let it drop regardless.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Enroute to Citadel Tower**

 **July 24, 2183 - 09:01 hours**

It was a tight fit, but all four of them managed to get into Jason's skycar as he flew them at top speed toward the Citadel tower. Tali riding shotgun while Garrus and Wrex sat in the back as he weaved in and around traffic.

Garrus closed down his omni-tool after having a long chat with Executor Pallin. "The Executor says that the council is already in session regarding Saren. The Alliance team that was on Eden Prime is already with the Human Ambassador and Nhilus."

"Then we better get there fast quickly." said Jason shifting gears and making the skycar go even faster.

The tower quickly came into view as they drew closer. Two C-Sec skycars quickly pulled up along both sides of their vehicle. _"Unknown vehicle, you are approaching Citadel Tower at exceeding speeds. Pull over immediately."_ said one of the officers.

Garrus pulled up his omni-tool again. "This is Detective Garrus Vakarian. I am in the black skycar with a witness and evidence to be presented to the council ASAP. Sending authorization and badge number now." he said hitting sa few keys.

 _"Confirmed, Detective Vakarian, we'll escort you in."_ came the reply as they approached the tower.

Jason touched them down in a vacant spot closest to the council chambers as they all quickly piled out and went inside. Going through the atrium causing people to get out of their way as they reached the stairs as they heard councilor Tevos' voice.

"C-Sec is still performing their investigation on Saren's motives. Until we hear back from them on the matter there's little we can do about-"

"Councilors."the nano soldier stated making several people jump at his sudden arrival. Everyone looked at him and the group following wide eyed as he slowly approached the podium where everyone from Eden Prime including Captain Anderson and Ambassador Udina were standing.

"Maverick, we've been expecting you." said Sparatus.

"We have information on Saren's involvement with the Geth and the attack on Eden Prime." said Jason as he motioned for Tali to step forward. "Councilors, this is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. She came across the data and was attempting to get it to the right people when she was attacked outside the Presidium by hired assassins. Detective Vakarian and myself, along with the aid of this Krogan behind us, saved her before it was too late."

"As for authentication, several of our techs can run through it to prove that it is genuine if need be." added Garrus.

"How did you come across this evidence Ms. Zorah?" asked Valern.

Tali took a deep breath before bringing up her omni-tool, "I was on my pilgrimage, my path into adulthood for my people when I encountered a squad of Geth on a world not far from this system. I caught one of them alone and managed to disable it, taking out it's memory core before it could wipe it completely clean. As I was going through what data survived I found this:" she hit a button and a recording started playing.

 _"Eden Prime was a major victory. We are one step closer to finding the Conduit."_ Saren's voice came out loud and clear.

 _"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers."_ a second, female voice added a moment later.

Everyone's interests were peaked while Jason smirked behind his visor. The ball had officially gotten rolling, and he was more than ready to get his hands on Saren again.

And next time, the bastard wouldn't be getting away.

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: Reemerging into old territory with this story, but with my own changes and add-ons. But it is something I intend on carrying out to the end and beyond. Keep the support and reviews coming folks, cause I'm just getting started!**_


	21. Chapter 20

_**A/N: And here we are once again. With roughly a hundred documents to go through from DFX I got my work cut out for me, and despite my best efforts there are still grammar errors that keep slipping under the radar. For those out there catching these errors, I appreciate your eye for detail and I'll do what I can to keep them at a minimum. (Grammar was always my Achilles heel in school.)**_

 _ **Regardless, I got more updates for you all and I ain't stopping at one!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Council Chambers - Citadel Tower**

 **July 24, 2183 - 11:37 hours**

Jason leaned back on the bench he was seated upon. After the hearing the audio log the council had called a brief recess to discuss among themselves about what to do about their rogue agent. Everyone who had been present had moved to the atrium to wait until they were all called back.

The group had separated across the large room. Garrus was talking with Executor Pallin, no doubt to explain the firefight that had torn Chora's Den apart along with the deaths of 18 hired thugs plus Fist himself.

Tali stood off to the side fiddling with her omni-tool. Wrex was leaning against a wall in the far corner. Shepard, Ashley and Kaidan were all grouped together not too far away talking with Captain Anderson.

"Helped save our asses again. At this rate you should be keeping track." said Nhilus sitting down next to him.

"Got lucky. Back on the _Normandy_ Detective Vakarian contacted me about information regarding Saren's motives. If it wasn't for him, and Tali for having the information, we wouldn't be able to piece together what he was after." replied the nano soldier.

The Spectre nodded, "Saren always seemed to have little regard for life, saving someone always came second priority unless ordered otherwise. He'd do whatever it took to get results no matter who was in his way. His hatred for Humanity was always a factor as well. He thinks you're too aggressive and believes you have no place with the galaxy at large."

"Personally...I think Humanity earned its place and then some. Our pasts be damned."

"Considering that he was a Spectre it's no wonder how he got away with a lot of the acts he committed. He had diplomatic immunity and a license to kill all at the same time, and his past military training would make him a very dangerous adversary." said Jason knowing the Turian's background very well and recalling the face-off they had on Eden Prime.

"He is, even more so now that he's got the Geth's support." said Anderson, coming over to join the two. "The last time he and I crossed paths things didn't go well. The mission ended in failure and it was pinned on me. Things wouldn't have gone nearly as well if we came at the council with just reports on the incident."

Jason stood and patted his shoulder, "He'll be brought down, sir. You can bank on that one. Without council support and a bulls-eye on his back bigger than a mass relay he can't hide forever."

Everyone looked up when Udina descended the stairs, "The council is done deliberating and requesting everyone's presence." he said fixing the collar of his shirt.

Re-entering the council chambers, Jason stood with Anderson, Shepard and Nhilus as the councilors retook their spots. "We have gone over the data presented to us and have found it to be genuine." said Valern.

"Saren has already been stripped of his Spectre status and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes." added Sparatus.

Tevos stroked her chin a moment, "The second voice on the recording, the one speaking with Saren. I recognize it. It is Matriarch Benezia." she said finally.

"She must be allied to the Geth as well, same as Saren." said Jane.

"Matriarch Benezia is a powerful biotic, and she had many followers. She will make a formidable ally for Saren." replied Tevos.

"I'm more interested in these _Reapers_ they were speaking of." said Valern. "What do we know about them?"

Tali stepped forward, "I think I can answer that councilor." she said gathering everyone's attention. "From what I learned from the Geth. The Reapers were said to be an advanced race of machines that existed 50,000 years ago. It is said that the Geth worship them as gods, the pinnacle of non-organic life. And they believe that Saren knows how to bring them back."

"The Reapers hunted the Protheans to total extinction, and then they vanished. At least, that's what the Geth believe." finished the young Quarian.

"This vision I received on Eden Prime...it makes sense now." said Jane rubbing the back of her head. "I saw the Protheans being wiped out by the Reapers. And if they believe that Saren can bring them back, then this 'Conduit' he was speaking of must have something to do with it."

"Do we even know what the Conduit might be?" asked Tevos.

"If Saren thinks it'll bring the Reapers back, that's bad enough." said Anderson.

Sparatus scoffed, "Listen to what you're saying. Saren wants to bring back the machines that wiped out all life in the galaxy? Impossible. It has to be. Where did the Reapers go? Why did they vanish? How come we've found no trace of their existence? if they were real we'd have found something."

"Your a former military man, Councilor Sparatus." said Jason for the first time startling a few people. "On a black ops assignment, if ordered to wipe out an enemy base and ensure that any and all useful information or weapons didn't wind up in the wrong hands, how would you ensure complete mission success?"

The question caught the Turian councilor off guard. Jason continued. "Any squad leader would go about taking out any and all personnel within the base before destroying all vital information and making sure all evidence of the squad's presence was non-existent."

The vigilante crossed his arms over his chest, "It's obvious that if the Reapers do exist, they wanted to make damn sure they weren't discovered. In essence, it makes perfect sense."

"We can all agree he's using the Geth to search for the Conduit, but we don't really know why." said Tevos. "We have not evidence to prove that the Reapers even exist. Saren could be using them as a way to bend the Geth to his will."

"Either way, Saren is a rogue agent on the run for his life. He no longer has the rights or resources of a Spectre." said Sparatus.

"That's not good enough!" shouted Udina. "You know he's hiding somewhere in the Traverse. Send your fleet in!"

"A fleet cannot locate one man." said Valern.

"A Citadel fleet could secure the entire region. Keep the Geth from attacking any more of our colonies." said Udina.

"Or it could trigger a war with the Terminus Systems!" exclaimed Sparatus. "We won't be dragged into a galactic confrontation over a few do Thrax Human colonies."

Jason chuckled humorlessly catching everyone's attention. "That's very nearsighted of you, councilor. So willing to throw away _Human lives_ for the sake of saving face. What if I had chosen not to save _your lives_ because I didn't feel like being dragged into a _confrontation_?" he asked pointedly.

The following silence was so thick you could cut it with a knife. All those gathered were looking between the vigilante and the Council wondering what would happen next.

Tevos cleared her thoat. "Perhaps there is another option. A way to stop Saren that does not require fleets or armies." she said trying to take away some of the tension.

"It's still too soon." said Sparatus. "Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."

"Councilors, even though you may believe that Humanity isn't ready there aren't many options open about this situation." said Nhilus. "And I can vouch for the Commander on her appointment to our ranks. Her combative and tactical skills would be invaluable. However, I would also like to make another recommendation."

The councilors all looked to one another, "Speak your mind, Spectre Kryik." said Tevos.

Nhilus looked back at Jason, "Had it not been for Maverick's intervention, the mission could have been a lot worse. And my body would be on its way back to Palavan. He has shown how dedicated he is to ensuring the protection and safety of others in the traverse. He has also earned my respect as a fellow soldier, and would gladly accept him in the Spectres as well."

All eyes trailed to the nano soldier, on the outside he made no movements, but within his suit he was very surprised. The last thing he had been expecting today was a full on recommendation into the Spectres.

"What say you, Maverick?" asked Valern, wondering on the Post-Human's thoughts.

"Saren posses a threat to everyone in the galaxy. If the Reapers prove to be real, than things could prove to be a lot worse than we believe." Jason stated calmly, quickly overcoming his shock at the turn of events. "I'm still a neutral party, but I'll do all I can to make sure that Commander Shepard is successful in her mission. If you allow her to join the Spectre ranks, I'll be more than happy to sign on myself."

He looked to each of them, "I have proven to be an asset to this Council for my past actions. I'll gladly offer my skills to bring Saren down."

The Councilors all looked to one another, silently deliberating before pressing a few keys on their podiums. "Commander Shepard, Maverick, please step forward." The two stood at the head of the platform. Throughout the room, people gathered around on the balconies above to watch the event unfolding before them.

"It is the decision of the Council that you two be granted all the powers and privileges of the Special Tactics and Reconnaissance branch of the Citadel." said Tevos.

"Spectres are not trained, but chosen. Individuals forged in the fire of service and battle; those whose actions elevate them above the rank and file." said Valern.

"Spectres are an ideal, a symbol. The embodiment of courage, determination, and self-reliance. They are the right hand of the Council, instruments of our will." said Tevos.

"Spectres bear a great burden. They are protectors of the galactic peace, both our first and last line of defense. The safety of the galaxy is theirs to uphold." said Sparatus.

"You are the first Human Spectres. This is a great accomplishment for you both and your entire species." finished Tevos.

Jane and Jason both bowed respectfully, "We are honored Councilors." said the Commander.

Jason nodding in agreement, "We will not fail."

"We're sending you both into the Traverse after Saren." said Valern. "He's a fugitive from justice, so you are authorized to use any means necessary to apprehend or eliminate him. Any and all information will be forwarded to you when we are aware of it. Until then good luck to both of you."

The meeting came to a close soon after and all groups dispersed.

X

"Congratulations, both of you." said Anderson shaking Jane's hand before doing the same to Jason.

Udina put his hand to his chin, "We've got a lot of work to do. You're going to need a ship, a crew, supplies..." Jason brought up his omni-tool and pressed a few buttons. Jane's omni-tool chimed with a new message and saw that it was coordinates.

"It's directions to a weapons shop in the Lower Wards. Best prices on weapons, armor, upgrades and mods. I'd start there." he said before heading off toward where his skycar was parked.

"Where are you going?" Garrus called after him as the group watched him go.

"I have some things to take care of before we go off to find Saren. Contact me when you're ready to get started." without another word he activated his cloak and vanished before their eyes.

Everyone stared at where he had vanished with a questioning gaze, "Don't worry, he does that a lot." said the Nhilus, shaking his head at the vigilante's style.

"Hopefully he'll remain an asset. We don't need another Saren running around." said Udina.

"Maverick's always done good for the Citadel and it's people. His track record from the past three years speaks for itself, and his skills on the battlefield would make him an N7 in a heartbeat." commented Anderson.

Udina didn't look convinced as he turned to the Captain, "Anderson, come with me. I'll need your help to set everything up." Anderson gave one last nod to everyone before following the Ambassador.

"You'd think Udina would be a little more appreciative since there are now two Human Spectres." said Ashley.

Jane looked to where the Post-Human had disappeared a minute ago. Deep in her mind she was hoping to talk to him more and understand the man behind the helmet. She was never so trusting at first, but something about the vigilante made her feel as though she could trust him with her life.

It was a strange and confusing feeling, but oddly welcoming.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Chellick & Reena's Apartment Building**

 **July 24, 2183 - 14:14 hours**

Jason parked the skycar on top of the apartment building before stepping out wearing a black t-shirt, jeans and his combat boots. The nano suit locked in a secret compartment in the back of the car as he made a call on his omni-tool.

"Thrax? It's Jason, I'm going to need to take a leave of absence from the shop." he said heading toward the door leading to the stairs.

 _"Why? You hardly take time off anymore."_ asked the old Krogan.

"Emergency from back home, I don't know when I'll be back but it takes priority right now." the vigilante lied smoothly.

The Krogan gave a rumbling sigh, _"Fine, you've done damn good for the shop, kid. And this place will always have a job for you when you get back."_

Jason nodded, "Oh by the way. Your going to hear about it soon, but the Council has elected two Humans for the Spectres. I was there and met up with them, I gave them the coordinates to the shop and told them that you'd have the best equipment for their assignment."

Thrax's remaining eye widened, _"You gave the location of my shop to two new Spectres?"_ his mouth twisted into a wide grin. _"Kid, I just might make you Vice President of this place if you keep doing shit like this."_

"Thought you'd like that, old man. Be seeing you around." Jason ended the call as he arrived on the floor where Chellick and Reena lived.

Finding the right door, he knocked and waited a moment before it opened revealing Reena. "Jason? What a surprise." she said hugging her Human friend.

"Been a little while Reena, how has everything been?" he asked hugging her back.

"Everything's good. How has things been for you?" before they walked into the apartment. Jason took a breath, "That's why I'm here. I've got a lot to tell you and Chellick."

The Quarian heard the tone in his voice and knew that the situation was serious. "Chellick, Jason's here." she said as they walked into the living room. The Turian looked up from the datapad he was reading and smirked seeing them enter.

"Jason, what brings you here?" he asked setting the datapad aside.

The vigilante sat down on the recliner across from them while Reena sat next to her boyfriend. "A lot's happened in the last 48 hours." he said thinking back to everything. "You know about the attack on Eden Prime?"

"Know about it? It's been on every news network for the last few days." said Chellick.

Jason nodded, "Well...I was there. Saren, one of the Council's best, was responsible."

The name caught the couple off guard. "Saren Arterius? The Council's top Spectre?" asked Chellick in astonishment.

"The one and the same. He somehow managed to get the Geth to bend to his will and used them to attack the colony, even tried to shoot another Spectre on site in the back when I managed to get in the way. When I got back here Garrus and I managed to track down a Quarian woman who had evidence leading to what he was after." stated the vigilante turned Spectre.

"A Quarian?" wondered Reena. "What's her name?"

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya." said Jason.

Reena sat up straight, "Tali'Zora! I grew up with her on the Rayya when we were children. It seems like forever since we last saw each other." said his friend excitedly.

Jason smiled at Reena's excitement before telling them everything that happened from Eden Prime to when they had gotten to Tali before she was set up leading up to he and Shepard being elected Spectres and charged with bringing Saren down.

"Wow, sitting in the same room as one of the two first Human Spectres. I feel honored." said Chellick with a smirk.

"You better feel honored, split-lip." said Jason joking back.

Reena rolled her eyes, "So, your leaving with Commander Shepard to go after this guy? When will you be back?"

"Don't know." replied the nano soldier shrugging. "I already called Thrax and told him I'm taking a leave of absence. Told him some BS about needing to head 'home'." he said with air quotes.

"Either way this is a lot more important. This asshole can't get what he wants, or we all will end up paying the price." said Chellick.

Reena looked to Jason, "Aren't you worried though? You won't be able to pull off being 'Maverick' on this mission for long before someone discovers you. Especially if the Commander recruits Garrus with the others that helped you."

Sighing, the Post-Human ran a hand over his scalp, "I know, the chances are I'll be exposed before the missions over. But the least I can do is do it on my terms." He looked at his friends, "I just wanted to let you guys know what was going on before I disappeared on you. I didn't want you thinking that I didn't care."

Chellick and Reena gave each other a look before looking back at him, "We have something to tell you too." said Chellick.

Reena held the Turian's hand and squeezed, "Chellick asked me to marry him, and I said yes."

Jason grinned a mile wide, "About damn time! Congratulations guys." he said getting up and hugging his two friends. "I can't think of two people who deserve each other more than the two of you."

"Thanks, Jason." said Chellick. "And I wanted to ask, if you'd be willing to be my best man at the ceremony."

"Of course, I'd be honored." Jason replied shaking his hand. "Though don't be surprised when I throw you a bachelor party for the history books." he said causing them all to laugh.

After setting up a few details about the future wedding. The nano soldier informed the couple that he paid his rent up for the next year and left the keys to his apartment in their care. He also told them to keep a close eye on his skycar while he was gone.

Reena and Chellick both promised to keep an eye on his stuff for him and wished him luck on the mission before he set out back for home.

Along the way, Jason's omni-tool went off with a new message from Shepard;

 _ **We have a ship for the mission. Report to the**_ **Nomandy** _ **with any supplies you might need.**_

 _ **P.S. You were right about the weapons shop. They had everything we could need and the prices were the best. Thanks.**_

 _ **\- Shepard**_

Chuckling, Jason landed back at his apartment building and heading inside. After Reena had moved out, he had converted her old room into a store room for any and all supplies he needed for when he was in the field.

The room was filled with crates full of ammo, clips, arrows, grenades, and medi-gel. Just about everything a lone Post-Human soldier would need to start a small war.

After putting together a duffel bag of clothes and other essentials before putting on the nano suit, he collected several crates worth of everything from the store room and put them into the skycar before locking the place up tight and putting several encryptions on the rooms and front door to make sure no one other than Chellick and Reena could get in.

Satisfied, the new Spectre got into his skycar and flew off toward the main docking area of the Citadel.

Along the way he started to think things over. Becoming a Spectre wasn't what he had thought would happen when all of this started. But there was no changing it now, and he had to make the best of the hand he was dealt. He was on the _Normandy_ now, helping to stop Saren and in the long run the Reapers.

He also knew of what was to come on some missions, Virmire being at the top of the list. And if Jason had anything to say about it he was going to help make sure everyone got out of this mission alive.

Setting the skycar down at docking bay D24 where the _Normandy_ was situated, the Post-Human Spectre got out and looked to the side where several technicians were loading crates of supplies onto the ship.

"Hey! I got a few extra supplies for you guys." he said unloading the skycar and setting the crates among the ones they were loading.

"Can I get your identification and the contents of the crates, sir?" said one of the techs holding a datapad. Jason brought up his omni-tool and sent his knewly acquired Spectre ID to the man whose eyes widened. "O-Of course sir!"

Jason held up his hand, "Relax, I may be a Spectre but I'm not hard to work with. The crates are filled with supplies, mostly ammunition and medi-gel for the mission."

Taking a deep breath one of the techs marked the crates' contents down on the datapad in his hands. "Alright sir, is there any place special you want them set up?" he asked.

"Have them put with the rest of the armaments on board, no need for nothing special. And thanks." said the new Spectre as he headed toward the airlock where he saw Shepard talking with Anderson.

He quickly programmed the skycar to fly back to the apartment building, watching it go before approaching them. "Really didn't take yoou long to get here did it?" said Jane crossing her arms and smirking in his direction.

"Had to tie up a few loose ends and gather a few supplies for the mission." he said flinging the duffel bag over his shoulder, "Where do you want me, Commander?"

"You do realize that it's not just my mission right? You were made a Spectre too, so that makes you my partner." said the Commander.

"Very true. But this is your ship, Shepard. I'm more than happy to call a few shots while in the field, but on the _Normandy_ you're the one in charge." said Jason honestly.

Jane looked baffled while Anderson shook his head, "Still as noble and chivalrous as ever, eh Maverick?"

Shrugging, the Post-Human headed toward the airlock, "I am to please, Captain."

The two Alliance soldiers watched the other Spectre enter the _Normandy_ before turning back to each other, "He'll definitely be a good addition Shepard. He saved my life as well as Admiral Hackett's that day. It was a shock he didn't push for a Spectre position at the time, he fits the qualifications almost as well as you do."

Jane nodded as her brow scrunched up, "He's still pretty mysterious. The Alliance still doesn't have any concrete background data on him to form a proper dossier. But my gut tells me that I can trust him."

Anderson smiled, "Trust your instincts, Commander. And I know that this man will have your back no matter what." his smile faded slightly, "But your right about the mysterious part. I have a feeling that there is much more to this man than any of us could possibly know. Something about the way he holds himself that speaks of a troubled past."

The Commander chewed on her lip, a habit she'd had since she was little and living on Mindoir. "Guess that means I'll have to get to know him. Maybe we can find some common ground."

"If there's anyone to get Maverick to open up more it would be you, Jane. Good luck." said Anderson giving the woman one last handshake before leaving her to her own devices.

Jane took a deep breath before entering the airlock. It was time to hunt down Saren.

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: A new Spectre has been crowned and the hunt has officially begun. Saren, the Heretics and the Reapers have no idea the help ally Shepard had just gained and the devastation coming their way._**


	22. Chapter 21

_**A/N: As previously stated in the last chapter, I'm just getting started today!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Cargo Bay**

 **July 27, 2183 - 13:52 hours**

Time aboard the _Normandy_ was a rather tense since leaving the Citadel. Shepard had made a grand speech about them stopping Saren and the Geth which got a lot of people rallied behind her.

They were currently enroute to Therum to gather Liara T'Soni, the Commander received intel on the doctor's whereabouts and wanted to collect her. Not only for her relation to Benezia, her mother, but also for her extensive knowledge on Protheans which could aid Shepard in understanding the vision given to her by the beacon.

Jason had spent the last few days combing over the reports sent to him by the Council about everything they could disclose on Saren and the Geth. After reading it over twice, he had SECOND store the more vital pieces of information just encase it was needed later.

The Post-Human had also spent his time mostly in the cargo bay tinkering with his weapons and gathering intel on the ship and crew. He believed that there was at least one member of the crew implanted by Cerberus to spy on them and he was intending on making sure that if there was they were silenced.

Jason immediately knew that first time he got on board the _Normandy_ he realized the game did it no justice. The frigate was easily twice the size it appeared on a tv screen. The crew deck was larger and housed a rec room for the crew's down time. The cargo area had a small shooting range and a gym with shower facilities. And the mess area was much bigger than he would have thought. All in all it was a pretty damn good ship.

At the moment, Jason was doing target practice in the ship's shooting range with his bow. Several members of the crew having come down and watched in slight awe as the 'primitive' weapon was just as deadly as any gun.

The newly appointed Spectre let another arrow fly and hit the bullseye on a Human sized target on the farthest end of the range. "Damn, I guess the classics never really go out of style." commented Ashley as Jason folded the bow back up and put it away.

"I've seen that thing in action, surprised no one's thought about mass producing it." said Garrus from by the Mako working on calibrations.

"So far it's one of a kind." said Jason locking up his equipment. "The arrows fired go at a much slower velocity that most kinetic barriers can't detect it until it's hit the target. It is also silent, making stealth and recon missions easy to accomplish without detection."

Wrex chuckled from his spot against the wall, "Who needs stealth when you can just blow things up."

Jason looked his way, "Did I mention that I also have arrows that detonate with the force of two frag grenades?"

The Krogan grinned, "Devious pyjack aren't you? I'd like to see how you'd fair against a strong opponent." he said slamming his fists together.

"Name the time and place old man, and I'll be sure to give you a challenge you won't forget." said the vigilante rolling his neck.

Everyone went back to what they were doing before, Ashley approached Jason clearing her throat. "Hey, Maverick. I always wondered something." Jason turned to the Gunnery Chief. "You're Human...right? I mean are you just like every soldier out there just with a more powerful suit?"

"You could say that." said Jason after a moment's thought. "Though the suit doesn't make the man, it's the other way around. Without the training, the will and the instincts of the one wearing it a suit is useless. I guess you could say I'm...unique."

Ashley looked around the cargo hold, "Your okay working with aliens? I mean, I know the Commander trusts them after they helped you get the evidence against Saren. But what if they turn on us?"

Jason whipped around quick making the Chief take an involuntary step back. "Are these just fleeting thoughts Williams? Or are you trying to extend the xenophobic olive branch?"

"I'm just saying that this is a _Human_ vessel and we have all these non-Humans around. Should we be so easy to trust?" she asked.

"You're religious, aren't you?" Jason asked. Ashley looked confused but nodded, "It is said that God created us in his image. But our race is made up of different colors, nationalities, sexual orientation, and cultures. Just because something is different doesn't always mean that it is evil."

"We fear that which we don't understand. And if we can't understand it, or control it, we fight to destroy it. It's not just Human nature. The First Contact war is evidence of this. Had Humanity and the Turians attempted to use diplomacy more properly in the beginning, countless lives could have been spared."

He motions across the room at Garrus and then at Wrex, "A person's a person. No matter what they are. And it's a big galaxy out there. If we cannot learn to overcome our prejudices, then we will forever be the odd ones out. Always behind everyone else because we can't look past our own noses to see what's going on around us. That's why I believe Commander Shepard let Garrus, Wrex and Tali aboard. She believes in equality among everyone."

Ashley's brow crinkled in thought. Jason rested a hand on her shoulder, "I know all about your family's history Williams. That your grandfather surrendered at Shanxi and the Alliance brass blacklisted your entire family for it. They were wrong. Your grandfather did the right thing."

She looked up at him in shock, "Had he not surrendered, more people would have died. He did the one thing both sides of the war should have done. He put his guns down and used his words. And in the end he saved lives on both sides. In my book, that makes him a hero, not a traitor."

The Chief's eyes shimmered, but she was too proud to let tears fall. "No ones ever thought of it from that point of view. People were so quick to mark my family as that of a traitor and that our military carriers were tainted for it." she said evenly.

"Your grandfather would have been damn proud of your achievements. But don't let misguided fear of the other races out there make you into someone your not. Follow his example and follow your heart, not your fear." said Jason sagely.

Ashley smiled, "Who would have thought our resident vigilante had a philosophical side."

Jason shrugged, "You can thank my folks for that. They instilled good morals in here." he said lightly tapping the side of his head.

Nodding, Ashley went back to her station thinking over what they talked about. Jason smiled under his helmet knowing he got through to her and opened her eyes to the bigger picture.

With his practice for the day done, he activated his cloak and slipped into the shadows to continue his intel gathering on the crew.

X

Jane walked her usual rounds through the CIC before stopping off in the cockpit where Joker was preparing an FTL jump. "Hey Commander, finished getting to know all the strays?" asked the pilot.

"In a matter of speaking. You should try a little socializing yourself Joker, might give you a few new perspectives." said the Commander.

"Nah, better leave that kind of stuff to you. I'll just stick with flying the ship. And besides I'm a little worried about that vigilante guy hanging around like a shadow." said Joker.

Jane crossed her arms and leaned on on her right leg, "You mean Maverick? What's so bad about him?"

"Other than the fact he can crush any of us like a toothpick and could probably take us all out with a fork from the mess without being seen? Nothing at all." said the pilot. "The guy just creeps me out, call me paranoid."

"Your paranoid, Joker. If Anderson can trust him than so can we, but don't worry, I'll be sure to keep the forks under lock and key in the armory so you don't get too scared." Jane said grinning.

Joker rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Commander."

Shaking her head, Jane walked back through the CIC and took the stairs down to the crew deck before entering the medbay. "How are things Karin?" she asked Dr. Chakwas.

"Everything is going fine Commander, I just about finished going over almost everyone's physical examinations." said the doctor going through her terminal.

" _Almost_ everyone?" Jane asked confused.

Chakwas sighed, "Yes, it seems that Maverick isn't very cooperative with the examination. Every time I tried to do tests he remains in his suit and uses his cloaking ability to slip away before I can stop him."

"Is it really that bad?" asked the Commander.

The older woman turned around in her chair, "Not entirely. He's rather easy to talk to considering his reputation. But he avoids the examinations like a plague, saying something about it being 'safer this way'. I am concerned about him Commander. Anderson warned us that he may keep to himself and try to avoid certain things, but I cannot make a medical profile on him if he doesn't allow the proper tests."

Jane nodded, "I'll speak to him about it. Though whatever's keeping him so reserved is obviously something he doesn't want to tell just anyone. Give him time, I'm sure he'll come around."

"Very well, Commander." said Chakwas turning back to her terminal. Jane went to leave when the older woman's voice stopped her. "How has your sleeping habits been Jane?"

The Commander sighed, "I'm getting by. The sleep aids are helping."

Chakwas nodded before turning around and meeting her gaze. "Just remember, the crew aren't the only ones that need an ear to listen every so often. You deserve to let out your thoughts every now an then too."

Jane gave another nod before leaving to finish her rounds. Chakwas shook her head and went back to work, hoping the young Commander found something to help her stay grounded after everything she had been through.

X

The _Normandy_ was about another day from Therum, most of the crew was gathered in the mess hall for one last good meal before they went after Benezia's daughter. Jane and most of her newly formed ground team were seated together talking about random things.

Tali was still in engineering learning about how to tend to the ship's drive core and wouldn't be up for a little while longer. Wrex had finished his meal early and decided to return to his corner of the cargo hold to clean his Claymore before they reached the planet.

Garrus was talking with Kaidan about his time at C-Sec while Jane and Ashley listened in when everything seemed to come to a stop. All talking and the sounds of forks on plates ceased as everyone present looked in the same direction.

Jason walked into the mess hall still in the nano suit as he approached the kitchen and gathered several things on a tray. Normally this wouldn't be anything surprising. However; this was the first time anyone had seen the vigilante turned Spectre in a public area.

Most of the crew were lucky to get glances at him as he skulked around the ship or seeing him down at the shooting range. Seeing him in the crowded mess hall was a bit of a shock.

After gathering everything he needed, The Post-Human looked around at everyone making them go back to what they were doing. Pretending like they weren't starring moments ago, as he walked back through and disappearing down the hall to his private quarters.

"Doesn't eat with the crew, doesn't socialize really, and he moves about like a ghost with no one able to see him. What do you think he's up too?" wondered Kaidan.

"He's not _up_ to anything as far as I know, lieutenant." said Jane drinking her coffee.

"I talked with him for a bit down in the cargo hold." said Ashley getting the attention of everyone at the table. "He's full of strong morals and fights strongly for them. Christ, he had my head spinning after a few sentences."

"He's always been like that." said Garrus.

"You've known him longer than the rest of us Garrus, what can you tell us about him?" asked Jane.

The Turian looked serious, "When I first heard about him I thought he was nothing more than a punk trying to take the law into his own hands. When I started seeing his handy work and how quickly and precisely he was taking down mercs across the Citadel I realized he wasn't just some common vigilante. His skills and what he was able to do would put a lot of those in the Turian Spec Ops to shame. And that suit of his is something no one had ever thought was possible to create."

"Any idea on who he might be?" asked Kaidan.

"There were a few good leads, but all led to dead ends. Maverick's able to cover his tracks better than most which makes me wonder how he's actually doing it. He was able to wipe out entire warehouses and office buildings filled with mercs and slipped away without being seen. The only reason we could connect him to the attacks was how the mercs were killed." said the detective.

Jane leaned back in her seat, "Let me guess, military style execution." The Turian nodded. "How come you didn't think it was a paramilitary group or something?" she asked.

Garrus brought up his omni-tool and showed holos of some shell casings, "No military group I've ever read about uses gunpowder based guns. One of his weapons are antique at best, yet it operates just as effectively as our regular arms. Powerful, and the slugs punch through armor more easily and have more stopping power than a regular mass accelerated round."

"Just how was C-Sec unable to catch him?" asked Ashley, now very interested.

"You may have noticed, and if not you will soon enough, but he's one strong and intelligent sonovabitch." said Garrus. "We had him surrounded by dozens of C-Sec officers, plus a Council Spectre, and he escaped like he had the whole thing planned out ahead of time."

That piece of information caught their attention, "He fought a Spectre?" asked Jane surprised.

"And beat her using non-lethal methods. In fact he never raised a gun to any civilians or C-Sec personnel. It was one of the many things the guys down in the offices liked about him; he cared enough not to endanger innocent lives needlessly." said the detective.

"And the attack on the Citadel tower over two years ago? How did he fit into all of that?" asked Kaidan.

Garrus' mandibles clicked a moment, "The whole time he was attacking the Eclipse, Maverick was gathering intel on what they were really up to. When he found out what their true plans were he contacted a friend of mine, a fellow investigator named Chellick, and gave him a copy of all the data files he collected. It revealed that the mercs were using the service tunnels under the Upper Wards to gain access to the power conduits to the sector."

"From there they'd implant a virus that would shut down the power throughout the whole sector leaving everyone vulnerable. Maverick wasn't able to stop them from shutting down the power or gaining access to the Citadel tower, but he gave C-Sec and the Council enough warning to mount an effective resistance."

"Soon after the attack he just came out of nowhere. Killing mercs and saving civilians and overrun C-Sec personnel alike before punching a hole through the merc's defenses from within the tower, giving us a chance to gain a foothold and take the tower back floor by floor."

The Turian was silent a moment before continuing, "He saved a lot of lives that day. And when the Council honored him for his bravery he wouldn't accept it. Saying that the true heroes of the battle where the officers who gave their lives for the station and it's people. Never thought I'd see something like that after everything that had happened to him. But he had more honor than I thought he did, now I never doubt him for doing the right thing."

The mess hall fell silent. Several of the servicemen who overheard the story were talking among themselves while the three soldiers at the table thought over what Garrus had told them.

Having thought long enough, Jane stood up and headed toward the crews quarters. "Where you headed, Skipper?" asked Ashley.

"I think it's about time I talked with my fellow Spectre." replied the Commander.

X

Jason sat at his desk in his private quarters, his helmet sitting on the table in front of him as he ate the food he collected from the mess hall. And he honestly couldn't believe that even after nearly 200 years military food still didn't get any better.

Still, it was better than nothing at all.

Finishing his meal, The Post-Human brought up his omni-tool and started going over the data he collected. Most of the crew checked out when it came to their backgrounds, but Pressly troubled him a little bit. The man made no attempt to hide his discontent about having aliens aboard the ship, going as far as to bring up his distaste to Shepard which caused the two to have an argument in the middle of the CIC.

At least Ashley had been willing to give them a chance before his talk with her. He'd have to keep a close eye on the _Normandy's_ XO, just to be safe.

Closing down his omni-tool, Jason picked up his helmet and looked at his reflection in the red visor. He hadn't worn the nano suit this much since he was in New York City fighting the Ceph. But he didn't want to run the risk of showing his identity only to have someone report it back to those who would use it at leverage against him.

A knock at his door caused his head to snap up. Quickly slipping the helmet back on, he sealed it in place and activated his voice filter. "Come in." he said leaning back in his chair.

The door slid open revealing Commander Shepard. "Maverick, I was wondering if you had a moment to talk?" she asked.

Jason nodded, allowing her to enter the room and stand in the center of the room. "Is there something you needed Commander?" he asked giving her his full attention.

"Just getting to know my crew. You've been the hardest to get close to. You're always off doing something or your nowhere to be found." said the Commander now standing in front of him.

"I like my privacy. I'm used to working alone, but I do know how to function with a team if need be." he replied.

Jane nodded in understanding, "Doctor Chakwas says your refusing a physical. Mind telling me why exactly?"

Jason leaned back in his seat a little more, "I tend to keep to the shadows and leave little record of me behind. I didn't want the Alliance getting a hold of my medical report and using it in some way. It may sound harsh, but that's just how I feel on the subject."

"You don't trust the Alliance?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I trust and respect a select few in the Alliance. But trust and respect are both earned. And no one else has attempted to earn it from me. Just trying to buy off my loyalty." said the vigilante evenly.

"What about me?" asked the Commander. "Can you trust me?"

Jason smiled behind his visor. "I know I can. Your actions during the Blitz speak volumes, Commander. But I can read your personality as well as a datapad. Your the type of leader that earns the respect of her crew, then fights to her last breath for them as though they were family. That makes you a better person than most, and someone I can come to trust very quickly."

Jane smiled as she thought of something else. "What made you agree to Nhilus wanting you to join the Spectres?"

"Honestly, I decided to bite the bullet." he replied simply.

"'Bite the Bullet'?" asked Jane.

"The Council was still at a crossroads with the idea of letting Humanity into the Spectres. I figured with my track record with helping out around the Citadel would give them something to ease their minds. Having two Spectres track a rogue is better than anything. Especially if one of them has helped the Council before." said Jason.

The Commander nodded, "It makes sense. But just remember, we're a team on this. The two of us share the responsibility and work together to bring Saren down."

Jason chuckled, "Alright _partner_. You think you can survive sharing the glory with someone like me?"

Jane's smirk widened a little, "I'm a big girl, I think I can manage."

At that moment, Jason's eyes roamed over the Commander's form. She stood at about 5'9'' and had a physic to die for from the way the uniform hugged her. Hard abs, a thin waist with curves in all the right places, long tone legs and C-cup breasts created a body most women would envy.

Pale creamy skin with crimson red hair cut short and framed her heart shaped face where a pair of captivating green eyes showed so much life, but also loss and pain. The only flaw he could see was the lone scar on her cheek that was an inch long just under her eye. But that didn't take away her overall beauty, or the aura of respect that seemed to form around her.

While Jason was observing her, Jane was doing the same to him

Her jade green eyes tracing every line of his body that was defined by the black and silver suit he was wearing. A part deep within her mind wondering what he looked like with it off.

Mentally shaking her self, the Commander asked a question that had been bugging her since they left the Citadel. "How come you never remove your suit? Every time someone sees you, your wearing it."

Jason sighed, he was preparing for his question. "Because I don't want people knowing who I am. My first meeting with the Council I told them some bullshit story about the suit, well not complete bullshit anyway. But I have friends on the Citadel who know who I really am and I don't want anyone going after them to get to me. I've made quite a few enemies in the last three years."

"I can understand that, Maverick. I just hope at some point you'll trust me and the crew enough to share more about yourself. Despite your good deeds, you intimidate a lot of people." said Jane.

"And I will some day soon. But I have to be sure that I can trust you all too before I can. There are a lot of things about me that will make you question if I'm even Human anymore under all of this." he said motioning to the suit.

The Commander nodded seriously, "I won't push you on the subject if your not ready to share. Just know that I'm there if you need to talk. My door's always open."

The Post-Human Spectre nodded, "Thank you Commander, I'll remember that."

Jane gave him one last smiled before leaving the room. Jason watched her go and began to wonder how long he could keep his identity a secret.

Even though he had the squad's respect, there was still mistrust considering what he could do. He was a complete unknown even after all of this time and that worried people. He needed to figure out what to do about that and fast.

Leaning his head back against the chair, he couldn't help but think; _"Life's too fucking complicated...no matter what universe your in."_

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: Therum is next, and will be posted before the end of the day. So those who are glued to your seats, don't go anywhere!_**


	23. Chapter 22

_**A/N: That's right folks! It's a HAT TRICK! And you've waited long enough for a bit more action, so here it is!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Comm/Briefing Room**

 **July 27, 2183 - 16:23 hours**

Jason stood in at the head of the briefing room cloaked as the ground team slowly filed in. The _Normandy_ was currently in the atmosphere over the planet Therum as Joker used the ship's navigation system to find the dig site Liara was located at.

Once everyone was inside and had taken a seat, Jane stood up and began the meeting. "Uh, ma'am? Shouldn't we wait for Maverick?" asked Kaidan.

"I'm already here, Lieutenant." said the vigilante, decloaking and startling almost everyone.

"Can you please stop doing that." said Garrus shaking his head, "Spirits, you scare enough people when your visible. Doing that will kill someone some day."

"Sounds like fun to me." said Wrex chuckling.

Jane cleared her throat to get everyone's attention before bringing up a map of the dig site and the surrounding area on vid-screen. "From what we can tell, the planet is mostly volcanic in nature. High temperatures, lava streams, so some of the areas may be unstable due to seismic activity. Add in the fact of all the digging done in and around the Prothean ruins there are chances of a cave in."

"What are our objectives, Skipper?" asked Ashley.

"Locate Dr. T'Soni and extract her. We haven't confirmed Geth presence in the vicinity, but be ready when we touch down just in case." she said before turning to the vid screen.

"Given that the land around the dig site could be weaker than the rest of the terrain we'll be dropping in the Mako a few clicks back from the target location and rolling through." she highlighted a path from the target drop site leading to the entrance to the ruins. "We are to eliminate any and all hostiles along the way to make sure we have a stable EZ. Questions?"

"When can we get started?" asked Wrex cracking his large knuckles.

 _"Commander we've reached the target drop point. Just waiting on you."_ said Joker over the intercom.

Jane nodded before turning to her fellow Spectre. "Preferences?"

Jason looked at the squad, "We don't know what we're up against when we hit dirt, and once we're in the ruins it'll be close quarters. I'd say Kaidan for his biotics and tech skills for when we need them, and Wrex for backup support."

"Agreed, everyone suit up. If something happens down there I want the rest of you on standby, just encase. Dismissed." said the Commander. The team filed out leaving the two Spectres alone. "You ready for this?" she asked as they left the room and headed to the elevator.

"I'm always ready, Commander. And it gives us a good chance to see how well we fare together as a team." replied the nano soldier as they stepped into the cargo hold and headed to their equipment lockers.

Jason gathered all of his weapons and slid them into the right spots, being sure to stock up extra on spare clips, grenades and explosive arrows. He even took a couple of experimental arrows that he had been working on before coming onto the _Normandy,_ seeing an opportunity to give them a field test.

When the team was armed and ready, they headed over to the Mako and climbed inside. Jane in the driver's seat, Kaidan in navigation, Jason in the turret and Wrex in the troop compartment. _"We're one minute from the drop zone Commander, get ready."_ said Joker.

Jane powered up the rover's engine as she waited for the green light. The cargo bay doors opened to the orange/red sky of Therum and she got the go ahead. The Mako roared as it flew from the ship's underbelly and plummeted toward the ground below.

Jason felt the small case of zero gravity from the drop but didn't flinch. After free falling several stories and being inside crashing troop transports this was a cake walk. Kaidan however, looked like he was about to lose his lunch...and his stomach all at once.

The Commander seemed to be enjoying the drop openly while Wrex sat casually in the back as though nothing were going on at all.

When they were close to the ground, Jane activated the Mako's thrusters to slow their decent before they landed with a heavy thud on the planet's surface. "We've touched down, everyone's okay." said the Commander.

 _"Commander. I'm picking up some strange readings. Really strange. Like, off the damn charts. It looks like it's coming from an underground complex a few clicks away from the drop zone." said Joker._

"That's gotta be the dig site. Whatever reading's Joker is picking up must be coming from the ruins." said Kaidan.

"Then we better get there fast as see what's going on." said Jane hitting the gas causing the rover to surge forward across the rough ground. They bounced and jostled around hitting every bump in the road as the Mako drove across the planet's surface.

Jason tapped a few controls inside the turret. "SECOND, connect with the turret's targeting system." he he said placing his hand over the console. His HUD flickered a moment before a targeting crosshair appeared along with a temperature gauge for the main cannon and the machine gun. **"Connection Established."** reported the AI.

"What's going on up there, Maverick? The on board VI said there was a slight surge." asked Shepard.

"Getting a feel for the controls." said Jason swinging the gun around searching for hostiles as they continued to travel across the nearly barren landscape.

They crested over a small hill when the loud hum of engines was heard. A large shadow passed over them as a long insect looking ship stopped, hovering over the ridge ahead of them. "Geth dropship!" shouted Kaidan as the vessel dropped three pods onto the ground before flying off.

The three pods quickly unfolded revealing Geth Armatures that began firing large plasma bolts in their direction.

Jane spun the wheel, avoiding the large blasts of energy as they drew closer to the ridge. Jason zoomed in on the targets and fired the main cannon, the heavy shell taking out one of the Armatures' shields and causing significant damage. A second shot blew the large machine to scrap but had caused the cannon to start overheating.

Switching to the machine gun, Jason opened up on the second Armature standing close to the first. The rounds quickly dropping it's shields and giving the cannon enough time to cool down before the Post-Human blew it's head off with a heavy shell.

The last Armature continued to fire on the Mako, not caring in the slightest for it's comrades' demise. Using the same tactic as the last one, Jason dropped it shields with the machine gun before blowing it to pieces with the cannon.

"Good shooting, Maverick." said Jane as they drove past the piles of scrap metal.

"How did you do that? The rover was bouncing and swerving all over the place." said Kaidan in slight shock.

"Think about who your talking to Lieutenant. A few bumps won't throw my sight off that easily." said the vigilante. _'Well, that and my suit's AI assisting with the targeting. But they don't need to know that.'_ the thought, mentally chuckling.

They drove up another hill and down a dirt path that lead to a large metal wall with a doorway built in. It was then that two rocket turrets suddenly came online and fired on them. Jane slammed the Mako's thrusters causing it to leap into the air and over the explosive projectiles at the last moment. "Only a fool would consider a full frontal assault when the enemy has the high ground." commented Wrex.

Jason brought up the map the Commander had shown them earlier on his HUD. The main path was still highlighted, but he saw a smaller path branching off from the route they were taking. "Commander, there's a smaller route leading around the front entrance. It should take us right inside the encampment ahead." he said firing on the turrets.

"He's right, take a right up here!" shouted Kaidan as a rocket managed to strike the hull of the rover and causing it's kinetic barriers to drop to 76%

Jane hit the gas, swerving around several more rockets before getting the Mako into the off-shoot the others had told her about. "Maverick, keep your eyes peeled for hostiles." she said maneuvering through the slightly cramped path.

They turned the first corner and Jason opened fire on a Geth heavy turret before it had a chance to come online, destroying it in moments.

The following corner revealed the inside of the guarded encampment where several Geth mobile platforms came online and began shooting at them. Jason quickly tagged them on his HUD. **"Geth Forces detected. Two Juggernaut class units. Three Rocket class units. Four Shock Trooper class units."** said SECOND.

Jason focused on the Juggernauts first as Shepard moved the Mako around the oncoming heavy fire. Running down a couple of units in the process.

A heavy shell blew one of the Juggernauts apart before the two Rocket units that were standing with it were torn apart by machine gun fire. The nano soldier swiveled the turret around and blew two more Rocket Geth that appeared along the wall of the encampment before going back to cleaning up the remaining units on the ground.

When the last Geth fell, Jane rolled the Mako up on the door that would lead them closer to the dig site. "Alright, we need to get this door open. Everyone out!" she ordered popping the hatch.

Jason got out last, taking out his AR and surveying the area for any Geth they may have missed. "Kaidan and I will handle the door." said Jane.

The Post-Human nodded, "Wrex and I will cover the Mako. Stay frosty, I have a feeling there are more of them here." he said still searching for hostiles.

When the Commander and Lieutenant entered the gate control room, the sound of mechanics and rapid clicking caught the attention of the nano soldier and Krogan warlord.

Looking back at the Mako, they saw a Geth Shock Trooper crawling out from under the front bumper. Leaving a trail of white fluid behind from where it's legs had been torn off.

"Heh, too easy." said Wrex racking his large shotgun.

Jason quickly snapped a hand out and stopped him, "Wait...I might have an idea." he said walking over to the damaged Geth. The synthetic's lone optic looked up at the black and silver armored being. Shuttering a few times giving the thought that it could have been blinking.

The Post-Human grabbed the Geth by it's neck and had SECOND start ripping data from it. The synthetic gave out a loud screech, clicking wildly as it's databanks were being torn into by the advanced AI. It took only a few seconds before SECOND responded. **"Data Mine Complete. Geth Programming Codes Obtained."** Jason looked at the data that scrolled across his HUD before crushing the head of the now catatonic Geth in his hand.

He had his suit's AI begin re-writing the pilfered codes as the door leading out of the encampment slowly opened, Jane and Kaidan quickly joining them soon after. "We miss anything?" she asked as they got back into the Mako.

"I just watch Maverick here torture a Geth before killing it." said Wrex as though he were talking about the weather.

Kaidan and Jane shared a glance before looking in the direction of the turret canopy. "Uhh, he's kidding right?" asked Kaidan.

"It's a machine, a living computer. I injected it with a hacking program and obtained a few vital strands of code that could be useful when it's finished being re-written and re-purposed." said the other Spectre as they got moving again.

"What'll happen when it's done?" asked Jane as she drove them over a few small hills.

"We'll have a useful weapon against the Geth." said Jason grinning under his helmet.

X

The drove for roughly 20 minutes. Encountering multiple Geth Armatures that were placed throughout the area to attack anyone that got close. Though with Jane's driving and Jason's shooting they didn't even scratch the Mako's paint.

They had just finished the last of the current group of heavy Geth when they encountered a real challenge.

Turning a corner and seeing the opening to a small tunnel system that would take them to an area a click away from the dig site. Standing in front of the tunnel's opening was a Geth that was roughly twice the size of the Armatures and was bone white.

"COLOSSUS!" shouted Kaidan as the large Geth fired a blast of plasma at them.

Jane cranked the wheel to the right, just barely missing the ball of condensed energy as it sizzled past. However, the kinetic barriers dropped a little from the near miss alone. "We better not take a direct hit, our shields might not be able to take it!" said Kaidan as the Commander went evasive.

Jason locked the cannon on the Colossus and fired. The shell struck it dead on, but it remained standing. Shields flickering from the round as it fired another plasma bolt at them. A second shell did the same, though it's shields flared with only half the strength from before.

With the cannon overheated, the vigilante pressed down on the machine gun's trigger and kept it down until the temperature gauge of the gun began approaching the red.

The large Geth's shields shattered under the assault, Jason quickly fired a cannon round and blasted a large dent into the white armor of the synthetic. The Colossus sputtered but fired another plasma bolt and trying to take them out.

Re-aiming, the Post-Human fired another shell that connected with the Colossus' optic dead on. The round blowing the oblong shaped head to pieces in an instant.

The synthetic remained standing for a second or two before sputtering and collapsing onto the ground dead. "Yes! Great shooting!" shouted Jane from the driver's seat.

"That wasn't bad, tin head." said Wrex. "Though I'd be more impressed if you pulled that off on foot." he said grinning.

"Give it time, old man. Give it time." said Jason as they entered the tunnel. Running down a few Geth that had been stationed there and couldn't get out of the way in time.

They exited the tunnel a minute later, taking the time to blow a few Geth standing guard apart before going across the open terrain, entering a second tunnel that took them to the base of a hill that had suffered a small rock slide. The only opening was big enough to fit them through on foot.

"Guess we're hoofin' it. We'll have Joker come pick up the Mako later, let's move." said Jane drawing her assault rifle.

Walking up the small path, the squad kept low as they approached a wide opening. "Perfect place for an ambush. Stay alert." said Jason adjusting the sight on his rifle. The sound of synthetic clicking was heard just as a hail of pulse weapon fire was shot in their direction.

The team split off and went into cover to return fire. Jason leaned out and quickly tagged the Geth on his HUD. **"Tactical Options Available."** "Cover me, I'm going to flank." he said putting a quick burst through a Shock Troopers optic.

Jane nodded as she gave him covering fire. **"Cloak Engaged."** The Post-Human got out of cover and strafed along the wall of the canyon they were in, keeping a close eye on his energy meter that depleted a little more with each step he took while cloaked.

The rest of the team had managed to put down two more Geth and forcing the rest into cover by the time the other Spectre made it behind their ranks. He drew his shotgun and deactivated his cloak before blowing the machines apart at close range.

A Rocket Trooper attempted to get a shot off, but the nano soldier ran forward, sliding across the ground under the explosive before coming back up with the shotgun's barrel in the red colored Geth's face. "Good night." the gun registered and the Geth's head exploded in a shower of sparks and metal fragments.

"All clear, move up." he said into his comm as the team got out of cover.

"Any more surprises?" asked Shepard.

"A wider canyon ahead with high walls and tall structures. They'll most likely have snipers and heavies set up." said Jason as his omni-tool flared. **"Geth Programming Code Re-Written."**

"What was that about?" asked Kaidan as they began to make their way into the next canyon, Jane leading the way with her sniper rifle ready.

"My hacking program just finished re-writing the Geth code fragments I picked up. Now things get interesting." said the Post-Human.

Shepard held up her fist making them all stop and press into the wall next to them. She looked back at her fellow Spectre, "You sure that program will work?"

Jason shrugged, "Never been tested yet. But I can't think of a better time than now."

The Commander motioned with her head for him to move up. Jason moved from the wall to a fallen boulder a little ways away, poking his head out and tagging the Geth that was waiting for them. "There are four Shock Troopers and two Rocket Troopers on the ground." he said before looking up along the ridge. "Three snipers along the ridge overlooking the canyon."

Setting his rifle against the boulder, Jason brought up his omni-tool. Zooming his visor in on one of the snipers above as the device linked with the nano suit's helmet. **"Initializing."** he highlighting the selected sniper he pressed a button on the device.

X

Two of the Geth snipers turned their heads when they saw their companion suddenly start sputtering. It's optic flashing repeatedly as though it were having a malfunction.

The two platforms approached their comrade just as the sputtering stopped and it's head bowed.

A second later the platform brought out it's pistol and shot the first sniper through the optic. Before the second one could process the situation it received the same fate and fell dead next to the first.

Holstering the pistol, the Geth brought out it's sniper rifle again and looked down it's sights at the other Geth down below. It's once blue/white optic now a dull red.

X

The team heard the gunfire, one of the Rocket Trooper's on the ground fell dead with a hole in the back of it's head. The rest of the Geth did an about face and attempted to take out the other threat giving the squad time to gun them down from behind.

When everything fell silent the team got out of cover in time to see a lone Geth coming down from the ridge. Their weapons came up, but Jason walked past them and approached the synthetic. "Drop your weapons." he said sternly.

The Geth tossed it's sniper rifle on to the ground, removing it's pistol and doing the same. The Post-Human brought out his omni-tool again and held it over the Geth's chest as it stood motionless in front of him.

A few seconds later the Geth's optic went out and it crumpled to the ground. **"Vital Mission Data Retrieved."** Jason read through the information quickly then turned to the others, "The Geth are here after Dr. T'Soni, sent by Saren to take her in alive for her knowledge of the Protheans. There are several squads of Geth up ahead and stationed in the ruins ahead of us, all being led by a Krogan Battlemaster under Saren's command."

"How did you figure all that out?" asked Wrex.

"That hacking program doesn't just control synthetics. It also allows me full access to their databanks. And since the Geth only wipe their memory cores when they die I got a lot of useful intel." replied the Spectre.

"Guess that's one way to test field equipment." said Jane. "Did it have anything on Saren? Where he might be or what his plans are?"

Jason shook his head, "Sorry, Commander. I guess when the information from before came from a disabled Geth he made sure that all his best kept secrets were only given out to a select few."

Jane nodded as the squad started moving up the hill leading up to the ridge where the snipers had been set up. The path from there took them to a small cluster of buildings outside of the dig site's entrance.

As they approached the buildings, Jason's motion tracker started to waver. **"Remote Jamming Detected."** reported SECOND. **"Incoming Hostiles."**

The Post-Human saw a small red beam cut through the air and center itself on the Commander's chest. Moving quick, Jason grabbed her around the waist and lept aside as a focused pulse round zinged through the air where she had been standing. "Sniper!" shouted Wrex as they got into cover.

Jane sat up with her back to the crate Jason and threw them behind. "Thanks for that." she said in his direction.

"No problem." came the reply as he leaned out of cover and fired another quick burst from his rifle.

A small form fell off of the scaffolding between two structures and hit the ground dead. "Geth Stalkers. They're what's jamming out motion trackers." said Jason. Jane leaned out of cover and took down a second one as it tried to scale the side of one of the buildings.

Kaidan summoned his biotics and lifted the remaining Stalker giving Wrex the chance to blow it to pieces with his Claymore. "All clear." barked the warlord.

"Not yet, Geth ship inbound!" shouted Kaidan as the large vessel flew overhead and hovered just over the entrance leading to the ruins. Three small pods and one bigger one shot out of the underbelly and hit the ground before it flew away.

The pods all unfolded into three Geth soldiers, the larger one rose higher revealing the form of an Armature as they all opened fire on the squad.

Jane took out one of the soldiers with her assault rifle before being forced into cover. A large bolt of plasma flying over her's and Jason's cover. "We need to take that thing out or we're toast!" she said over the gunfire.

The whole team focused on the Armature as it began to slowly make it's way through the small encampment toward them. Weapons overheated, but the shields just stayed up strong as the Geth drew closer to them.

Jason fired up his omni-tool. "Kaidan! Double overload!" he shouted. The Lieutenant nodded bringing up his omni-tool as well. "On three. One. Two. THREE!" The two jumped up and launched the programs, both hitting the Armature dead on causing it's shields to spark a moment before dying completely.

"Nice plan, now hit it with everything!" ordered the Commander as they opened fire.

The Armature's armor started taking damage. The synthetic took a step back, firing it's main weapon as it tried to get it's shields back up.

Seeing the large Geth attempting to fall back. Jason switched to his bow and drew an explosive arrow. Standing, he aimed for a potential weak point in the Armature's form before drawing the string back and letting it fly.

"Everyone duck!" Jason shouted. The bolt went through a small gap between the Geth's neck and body and stuck inside it's armor.

An explosion of red, blue and purple filled the air. The Armature's head and part of it's neck crashed to the ground several feet away while the mangled body collapsed onto the ground where it stood. Flames and sparks shooting out of the openings made from the blast.

The team looked at the destroyed synthetic before turning to the nano soldier as he took a regular arrow out and knocked it. "...what?" he asked seeing their looks.

"You sure you don't wanna join the Alliance?" asked Jane grinning.

Jason chuckled, "I think being a Spectre's more fun at this point." he said as they approached the entrance to the Prothean ruins.

X

Stepping out of the small tunnel through a circular door, the squad looked around the large cavern they now found themselves in.

Jason bumped Shepard's shoulder getting her attention. He held a finger up to where his lips would have been on his helmet and pointed to the right where a Geth Shock Trooper was patrolling the lower walkway.

Crouching low, the nano soldier crept along the walkway they were on. Drawing the string back on his bow as he got into position.

When the Geth stopped he let go. The arrow piercing through the side of it's head sending out sparks before it crumpled to the ground.

Jason drew a second arrow and watched a second Geth that had been nearby approach the disturbance before firing again. The bolt going through the other Geth's optic and putting it down quickly.

"All clear." he said folding up the bow and taking out his shotgun.

"This is really impressive." said Kaidan looking around as they went down the stairs and walkways. "To know that you could be standing on top of ruins like these at anytime. Kind of makes you wonder what else the Protheans could tell us than what we already know."

"Their dead. That alone should tell you something." grunted Wrex.

They entered an elevator and rode it down to the next level. "What's the plan after we find the doctor?" asked Jason as they stepped out onto the walkway.

"Clear an EZ outside for Joker to pick us up." replied Jane. "If we're lucky the Geth won't notice we've been here."

"Contact!" shouted Kaidan as a small group of attack drones appeared and opened fire on them.

"Spoke too soon." muttered the Commander as they returned fire.

Jason raised his shotgun and started blasting away before the drones focused fire on him. **"Maximum Armor."** the pulse rounds caused a little more damage than regular rounds, causing his energy meter to drop a little more with each shot landed.

That in mind, the Post-Human helped the team put the drones down fast before the meter ran out completely.

Jane's assault rifle chattered as two drones were shot down before they could get a bead on them. Wrex using his pistol to assist while Kaidan fired a singularity that finished them off.

When the last drone fell, Shepard put her assault rifle away and approached her fellow Spectre. "Where are you injured?" she asked taking out her omni-tool.

"I'm fine." Jason replied moving away from the device.

"Bullshit, those rounds hit you dead on and your shields weren't up. Where are you injured?" she asked again, a sense of urgency in her eyes.

Jason gently grabbed her wrist, "I'm fine, Commander. I don't need shields, my suit's made of a much harder weave than a regular hard suit making it more durable in combat." he said letting her hand go a moment later.

Jane looked over his form and saw that he was right. The suit didn't have a scratch on it despite taking a few direct hits. Letting out a breath she nodded, "Alright, just be more careful next time." she said heading to the next elevator.

"We lost someone on Eden Prime." Jason turned to Kaidan. "His shields and armor were torn through by a Geth Assault Drone like they were nothing. The Commander blames herself for his death because she was the one leading." he explained.

"Soldiers die in battle everyday. It sounds harsh but it's the truth. It wasn't any more her fault than it was his." said Jason as they got moving again.

Kaidan shook his head, "The Commander has a bleeding heart. She can be precise and ruthless on the battlefield, but when it comes to those under her command dying or being injured she takes it personally. It may not effect her performance in a firefight but it wears on her emotionally."

Jason could understand that, having seen so many Marines fighting and dying around him back in New York. Maybe he and the Commander did have something in common.

They got into the next elevator and began to ride it down to the bottom level. They reached about halfway when the lift started sparking. A loud grinding filled the large cavern as it came to a complete stop.

"Prothean architecture, built to last." muttered Wrex as they lept down the last few feet to the walkway under them. Weapons at the ready, they started to spead out when they heard someone calling out.

"Um...hello? Is someone out there?" said the clearly female voice.

The team dropped down to the next level and approached a glowing blue field, inside was an asari in a scientist's uniform suspended above the ground inside a bubble of energy much like the field in front of them. "Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped! I need help!" shouted the asari.

"Liara T'Soni?" asked Jane looking up at her.

"Y-Yes, I am Liara. Can you please get me out of here? I was investigating these ruins when the Geth arrived. I ran in here and activated the defenses. The barrier curtains could protect me. When I turned it on, I must have hit something I wasn't suppose to. I was trapped in here. You must get me out. Please." said Liara.

"We'll find a way. Just stay calm." said the Commander before turning to the rest of the team. "Spread out and see if you can find a way past the barrier."

The squad kept their weapons ready as they walked away from the barrier and down to the ground floor to start their search.

"Hey Commander, what about this mining laser?" asked Kaidan standing in front of the large piece of excavation equipment.

"It could be strong enough to punch through the wall and into the structure behind it." said Jane looking it over. "See if you can get it working Lieutenant, we'll cover you." Kaidan nodded as he started working on the terminal station next to the laser.

They took up defense positions just as a small squad of Geth came out from behind boulders and lab equipment all around them and began shooting.

The team returned fire, Jason's AR registering with rapid succession as the synthetics began dropping one by one. Jane took out a grenade and tossed it across the room behind a few rocks where two snipers had taken up position . The explosion that followed sent parts of the Geth flying every-which way.

Wrex smashed the butt of his shotgun against a Shock Trooper's head knocking it to the ground before stomping down onto it. Crushing the metal frame like an aluminum can under his large foot.

When the Geth were down, the mining laser started powering up. "Everyone get clear!" Kaidan shouted as they moved to a safe distance. The laser powered up to full before blasting a concentrated beam into the ground that burned through thr rock effortlessly.

This continued for roughly 20 seconds before the laser shut down. The newly made hole went straight into the ground and made an opening in the Prothean structure beyond. "That's our opening, let's go get the doctor." said the Commander as they made their way inside.

Jason looked around the Prothean structure and couldn't help but wonder what this place could have been used for. Though the longer he observed he had a pretty good idea.

Stepping onto the large platform in the center of the tower. Jane activated a holo-panel and caused the whole thing to begin rising up like an elevator. They reached the floor where Liara was still suspended and approached her.

"You...You got inside? How?" she asked shocked.

"The mining laser on the ground floor helped us punch through." said Jane as she looked for a way to get the Asari out.

"The mining laser...yes that would have done the trick. Please, get me out of here before more Geth arrive. There should be a panel there next to you that can deactivate the field." said Liara.

Approaching the panel, Jane fired it up and tapped a few keys. The bubble vanished and the young Asari dropped to the floor. "Any idea on how we can get out of here?" asked Kaidan.

"There is an elevator in the center of the tower. At least, I think it's an elevator. It should take us out of here. Come on." said the doctor leading them back to the large lift. "I...I still can't believe all of this. Why would the Geth come after me? Do you think Benezia's involved?" she asked.

"The Geth are after you on Saren's behalf. He want's your knowledge on the Protheans to find something called the Conduit." said Jason startling her. "Your mother is also working for him."

Liara looked confused, "The Conduit? But I don't know-" she was interrupted when the whole shaft started shaking.

"What the hell was that?" said Wrex looking around.

"These ruins aren't stable. That mining laser must have triggered a seismic event." said Liara as she brought up the panel for the lift. "We have to hurry. The whole place is caving in."

Jane tapped her comm, "Joker! Get the _Normandy_ airborne and lock in on our signal. Double time!"

 _"Aye, aye, Commander. Secure and aweigh. ETA eight minutes."_ replied the helmsman.

"If we die in here I'll kill him." said Wrex as the platform started to ascend through the floors above. The whole shaft shook as the caverns around them began to crumble. Seconds ticked by feeling like hours as the lift finally came to a stop in a large circular room on the floor they started from.

The field leading out deactivated and a Krogan stomped inside with a squad of four Geth. "Surrender. Or don't, that would be more fun." grunted the Battlemaster.

"Encase you didn't notice, this place is falling apart." said Jane getting ready to draw her weapon.

"Exhilarating, isn't it?" asked the Krogan grinning. "Thanks for getting rid of those energy fields for us. Now, hand over the doctor."

"Whatever it is you want, you're not getting it from me." Liara said defiantly.

"She stays with us." said the Commander taking out her assault rifle. In her peripheral vision she saw Jason taking out his bow and an arrow that had glowing blue lines running through the shaft.

"Not an option. Saren want's her. And he always get's what he wants." growled the Krogan.

"Not today." Jason fired the arrow at the Geths' feet. The bolt exploded in a flash of black and blue light before reforming into what resembled an unstable singularity that trapped the synthetics in a field before it exploded sending them crashing across the room.

The squad opened fire, taking down the Geth quick. Wrex roared, charging forward with his biotics flaring as the enemy Krogan did the same. The two slamming together like two freight trains as more Geth began to enter the room.

"Kaidan! Cover the doctor!" Jane shouted, gunning down another Geth that tried to target them.

Jason had switched to his shotgun and was picking off the Geth one by one as they tried to get into the room. He vented the weapon as the number of synthetic hostiles began to dwindle.

Off to the side, the two Krogan were engaged in hand to hand combat. Striking each other with fists and headplates with enough force to flip a car. "Give it up whelp! This fight is over!" roared Wrex slamming his head into the Battlemaster and making him stagger.

"Not yet it's not." said the Battlemaster taking out his shotgun and charging it with his biotics.

Wrex lept and rolled to the side to avoid the warp infused rounds before drawing his own shotgun and returning fire. The Battlemaster brought up a barrier that deflected the rounds as he gathered dark energy around his form.

In the next instant the enemy Krogan roared before launching across the room with a biotic charge. Slamming into Wrex hard and sending the Warlord crashing hard into the far wall. "Time to lay down with the rest of the bones, Urdnot." growled the Battlemaster.

"You first!" a black and silver fist connected with the side of the Krogan's head making him stumble back a few steps. Jason spun on his heel and kicked the shotgun out of the stunned Battlemaster's hand, drawinf his Hammer mid-spin and emptying the clip into his barrier and bringing it down.

The Krogan righted himself and charged the nano soldier with a powerful roar. **"Maximum Power."** Jason braced himself as the Battlemaster slammed into him. The Spectre only sliding back a few inches thanks to the nano suit's enhanced strength.

The two stood trying to overpower one another, hands clasped as they pushed against each other. "Give it up Human, this battle is over." growled the Krogan.

"I don't think so."Jason said rearing his head back before smashing it hard against the Battlemaster's head plate with a loud crack. The Krogan stumbled back giving the vigilante time to draw his knife.

Before the large alien could register what was happening, Jason drove the sharp blade into the side of the Krogan's headplate. Twisting the knife, the bony plate came off with a sickening pop and clattered to the floor.

The Battlemaster screamed in agony, collapsing onto the floor like a whipped dog and clutching his head. Jason drew his shotgun again, forcing the barrel into the Krogan's mouth and pulled the trigger; the back of the alien's head exploded in a shower of blood and bone as his screams were instantly silenced.

Jason put his weapon away and looked over his shoulder to see the rest of the team and Liara all staring at him with wide eyes and open mouths. Wrex's eyes slowly went to the removed head plate before looking back at the nano soldier with a slight sliver of fear in his eyes.

The whole chamber rumbled hard jostling everyone out of their thoughts. "Place is coming down, lets GO!" Jane shouted as they all started running as fast as they could.

Large chunks of rock rained down from the ceiling above as the team ran along the shuddering walkways. One boulder managed to smash through the walkway forcing Kaidan and Jason to jump over the gap with the others following shortly after.

Liara stumbled as the caverns continued to shake around them. Losing her footing and almost falling over the nearby railing when a large pair of arms wrapped around her waist, throwing her over a powerful shoulder as she was carried the rest of the way.

Jane stopped at the entrance to the dig site and motioned for the others to keep running. "Go! Move! MOVE!" she shouted as Kaidan and Wrex ran by followed shortly by Jason with Liara slung over his shoulder before following after them.

The squad ran out of the opening at the end as the caverns completely collapsed behind them sending a cloud of dust and debris shooting out of the small tunnel. They all stood on solid ground, armor covered in dirt as they began to catch their breath.

Jason set Liara on her feet, steadying her as she felt a big of vertigo after being carried so fast and so far. "You good doctor?" he asked.

The Asari nodded, "Yes, thank you."

The loud hum of the _Normandy's_ engines sounded overhead as Joker brought her in to extract them. The two Spectres shared a glance and nodded.

Mission Accomplished.

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: One mission down, several more to go. I'm still following close to the original script written by DemonFireX, only making what changes I can and fixing old errors to the best of my knowledge along the way. But keep in mind that not everything will be the same for those who had read his work before, so remain on the lookout.**_

 _ **That's all for now, but new updates will be coming soon. So stay tuned folks!**_


	24. Chapter 23

_**A/N: Just when you thought it couldn't get any better. With so much to work with thanks to my old mentor, there will be plenty of quick updates to come folks!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **July 27, 2183 - 19:43 hours**

 _"Too close guys. Ten more seconds and we would've been swimming in molten sulfur."_ said Joker as the team gathered in the briefing room. _"The_ Normandy _isn't equipped to land in exploding volcanoes. They tend to fry our sensors and melt our hull. Just for future reference."_

"We almost died out there and your pilot is making jokes?" said Liara aghast.

Jane went to say something when Jason put a hand on her arm. "Don't worry Joker, next time you can come with us. Plenty of running, shooting, explosions, you'll have fun." said the Post-Human crossing his arms.

 _"Oh, ha, ha, ha! Our big bad vigilante Spectre has jokes, who would've thought?"_ fired back the helmsman sarcastically.

"How bout I come up there with a _fork_ and we can work things out?" asked Jason casually. Silence was his response which caused Jane and Kaidan to start cracking up.

"About time someone out witted Joker's barbs." said the Lieutenant.

"This must be a Human thing. I don't have a lot of experience dealing with your species." commented Liara as they got back to the matter at hand. "I am very grateful to all of you. You saved my life back there. And not just from the volcano. Those Geth would have killed me, or dragged me off to Saren."

"If Saren was after you for your knowledge about the Protheans, do you know something about the Conduit?" asked Garrus.

"Only that it was somehow connected to the Prothean extinction. That is my real area of expertise. I have spent the past fifty years trying to figure out what happened to them." replied the Asari.

Jane looked up from her spot at the head of the room. "I've got my own theory about why the Protheans disappeared."

Liara tilted her head, "With all due respect, Commander. I have heard every theory out there. The problem is finding evidence to support them. The Protheans left remarkably little behind. It is almost as if someone did not want the mystery solved. It's like someone came along after the Protheans were gone and cleansed the galaxy of clues."

Jason's fingers twitched lightly as she continued. "But here is the incredible part. According to my findings, the Protheans were not the first galactic civilization to mysteriously vanish. This cycle began long before them."

"If the Protheans weren't the first, then who was?" asked the Commander.

"I don't know. There is barely any evidence on the Protheans. Even less on those who came before them. I cannot prove my theory. But I know I am right." said Liara. "The galaxy is built on a cycle of extinction. Each time a great civilization rises up, it is suddenly and violently cast down. Only ruins survive."

"The Protheans rose up from a single world until their empire spanned the entire galaxy. Yet even they climbed to the top on the remains of those who came before. Their greatest achievements, the mass relays and the Citadel, are based on the technology of those who came before them. And then, like all the other forgotten civilizations throughout galactic history, the Protheans disappeared. I have dedicated my life to figuring out why." the doctor concluded.

Jane soaked in all of the information before speaking, "They were wiped out by a race of sentient machines. The Reapers."

Liara's eyes widened, "The...The Reapers? But I have never heard of...How do you know this? What evidence do you have?"

"There was a damaged Prothean beacon on Eden Prime. It burned a vision into my brain. I'm still trying to sort out what it all means." replied the Commander.

Liara mulled it over, "A beacon? Yes. That makes sense. But the beacons were not programmed to interact with Human physiology. I am surprised you were able to make any sense of it at all."

Jane shrugged, "It's all still a bunch of random images to me. I still haven't been able to piece anything concrete together since I first received the vision."

The Asari doctor thought to herself again before standing up, "Commander, with your permission, I would like to try something. You were touched by the beacon. the visions are locked away inside your mind. My people are able to enter the minds of other species, perhaps I can help you make better sense of what you are seeing."

The Commander nodded, "Mind melding. I've heard of it in passing. Alright, let's give it a shot." she said walking to the center of the room.

Liara approached her until they were a foot apart. "Relax, Commander." Liara said closing her eyes. Jane did the same and took a deep breath as the Asari's eyes snapped open revealing black orbs. "Embrace Eternity!"

Jason and the others watched on as they just stood there motionless. A minute went by, then another, then another.

After about five minutes they snapped out of their trance with a gasp. Liara stumbled back a step. "By the Goddess...that was incredible!" she said in awe. "All this time. All my research. Yet I...I never dreamed..." she took a deep breath. "I am sorry. The images were so vivid. I never imagined the experience would be so...intense."

She looked at the Commander with intensity, "You are remarkably strong-willed, Commander. What you have been through, what you have seen, would have destroyed a lesser mind."

"Getting off subject here." said Ashley. "What did you see?"

Liara rubbed her temple, "The images were very blurry, but it seems that the beacon on Eden Prime must have been badly damaged. Large parts of the vision are missing. The data transferred into the Commander's mind is incomplete"

"There wasn't any kind of clue or hint?" asked Jane felling her head spin a little from the melding.

"Everything I saw, what I could see, you already know. You were right about the Reapers. The Protheans were destroyed by a race of sentient machines. I think it is obvious there is a connection between the Reapers, the Prothean extinction, and the Conduit. But I did not see anything that would help us find it." said Liara sadly.

"It's still a step in the right direction. No matter how small it may be." said Jason getting everyone's attention. "Knowing that the Reapers were responsible for the Protheans' demise and that it may be connected with the Conduit makes finding it and stopping Saren that much more important."

"If we can locate the missing components of the vision, or possibly a way to make sense of the images, I might be able to help the Commander piece everything together." said Liara.

"One step at a time." said Jane before holding out her hand to the Asari. "You'd make a good edition to the team Liara. Your knowledge could really help us through this."

"And her biotics could be useful in a firefight." added Wrex.

Liara smiled and shook the Commander's hand. "Thank you, Commander. I'l do whatever I can to...ooh-" she stumbled back, Garrus lept out of his chair and caught her before she hit the ground. "T-Thank you. I am sorry, I'm a bit light headed."

"When was the last time you ate? Or slept? Dr. Chakwas should take a look at you." said Kaidan.

"It's probably just mental exhaustion, coupled with the shock of discovering the Protheans' true fate. I need time to process everything." said Liara.

"You were also trapped in those ruins for who knows how long. Being looked over by Chakwas would be the better course of action Dr. T'Soni." said Jason before turning to Kaidan. "Lieutenant, you mind helping her to the medbay?"

Kaidan nodded before standing and helping the young Asari out of the briefing room toward the crew deck.

Jane looked at the rest of the team, "We're all set here for now everyone. Dismissed."

The team began to file out as Joker came on over the intercom again, _"Mission reports are filed you two. You want me to patch you through to the Council?"_

"Patch them in Joker." said Jane before looking at Jason, "You did your report, right?" The nano soldier nodded as they turned to the holo-panels behind them. The images of the three Councilors materialized moments later.

 _"Commander, Maverick. We've received your reports. I understand that Dr. T'Soni is on the_ Normandy _."_ said Tevos.

 _"Can we assume that you're taking the necessary security precautions?"_ asked Sparatus.

"If your worried about Liara betraying us then there is nothing to fear." said Jason. "The Geth were attempting to either kill or capture her for Saren. The chances of her working for him or her mother are slim at best."

 _"Benezia would never allow Saren to kill her daughter."_ said Tevos

 _"Maybe she doesn't know."_ offered Valern.

 _"Or maybe we don't know her. We never expected she could become a traitor."_ growled Sparatus.

"Regardless, Councilors, the mission was a success." said Jason.

 _"Apart from the utter destruction of a major Prothean ruin. Was that really necessary?"_ asked Sparatus.

"We were lucky to make it out of there alive." said Jane. "The Geth were all over the place, and Joker informed us on our return that more were on the way. At least now Saren won't be able to benefit from anything Liara may have left behind."

 _"Of course, Commander. The mission must always take priority. And ensuring that our enemy doesn't have an advantage also helps in the long run."_ said Valern.

Jason clenched his fist and bit his tongue as the words, 'the mission must always take priority', kept ringing in his head. He always hated those words.

 _"Good luck you two. Remember we're all counting on you."_ said Tevos as the images vanished.

With the meeting over, Jason turned and headed for the door. "Maverick. Do you have a moment?" asked Shepard making him pause halfway.

"I could spare a few minutes." he said turning around to face her.

"Really seeing you in action down there proved all of the hype that I've heard about. Your skills are better than most of the N7 Commandos I have met." she said stepping closer. "With skills like those, you could have gone off and done just about anything out there. What makes this mission so different?"

Jason rolled his shoulders, "Because it's a priority. Sure the galaxy seems to be 'threatened' every time you turn around but this one proves to have truth behind it. The Reapers wiping out the Protheans, and a crazy bastard trying to bring them back, is definitely more important than taking down a group of street thugs."

Thoughts flashed through the Commander's mind, seeing him taking down Geth through various means and that Krogan just before they got off world had left her in a state of awe.

She'd never seen someone fight like that. Raw power, but he moved as though combat were second nature to him. She never saw anything like it and she was impressed beyond her expectations. The Council was more than right to pick him for the Spectres.

"Shepard?" Jason asked snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sorry. Just wondering about something." she said shaking her head. "The way you fight, I can see that you've had military training of some kind. But it seems that it's been refined to fit a certain style."

"It allows me to adapt to a situation quickly." said the vigilante. "Even the slightest change in an opponent could shift the balance of a conflict. They say that great power can mean different things to different people. There's the power to take a life. The power to make a difference. But _real_ power, is understanding just two things."

"And those would be?" asked Jane interested.

"Cause and Effect." said Jason cryptically. "Knowing your enemy. The environment. All advantages that there could be around you and utilizing them. Knowing all of this and the possible outcomes if you went about doing it a certain way could end a firefight in your favor without really having to fight that hard."

"And through understanding this form of _power_ , you are able to make a difference in the world. That is my personal belief." the Post-Human finished his statement.

"Ashley was right, you are pretty philosophical under there." said the Commander grinning. "And every right to be called a hero from where I'm standing."

Jason was motionless before shaking his head, "You know the funny thing about heroes. They're just regular people underneath. And at their core, they are flawed like everybody else."

Shepard looked puzzled, "Bad experience?" she asked.

"Too man to count." he replied solemnly before turning his back on his fellow Spectre and walked out of the room, his cloak activating along the way leaving Jane wondering what else was going on inside the man's head.

And how deep the pain in his filtered voice truely went.

X

Jason rubbed his face as he finished getting his suit back on. It hadn't been easy sneaking past all of the crew to get to the showers. But it was past the point of him needing one a long while ago.

So he kept himself cloaked as he reached the showers attached to the gym on the ship's lower deck. Hacked the door so it was locked. And made sure that any and all listening devices that 'could have' been there were destroyed via a small EMP pulse from his omni-tool before he felt safe enough to bathe without being discovered.

It was a lot of work for just a simple shower. But Jason was going to make damn sure that he wasn't found out by anyone. Yet that alone brought something to his attention.

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't help but let certain things slip around Shepard. It was like the woman had some kind of power over him that made him want to tell her everything.

Maybe it was her nature. The Post-Human could feel it. People gravitated to her, not just because of her leadership skills, but her compassion to be there for her crew when they needed her the most. More than once he saw her talking with everyone on the crew about something or other and wondering if everything was going okay while they were on the ship.

He even caught pieces of conversation relating to him. The Commander was digging and digging hard. Thankfully the crew knew as much about him as she did, and Jason was going to make sure of that for as long as he could.

Before slipping his helmet back on, Jason brought up his omni-tool and started going over the various data he'd collected about everyone aboard the _Normandy_. He had SECOND go through each file with a fine toothed comb for anything out of the ordinary. One by one each crew member was removed from the list once proven they weren't a spy from Cerberus.

All that were left were three people. A Serviceman working in the CIC. A tech working in engineering. And XO Pressly. With each passing day the old man was looking more and more shifty. But Jason wouldn't make a move until he was 100% sure and had the evidence to back it up.

Breaking someones neck in front of the whole crew was a sure fire way to get kicked off the ship unless you could prove why you did it.

Shutting the tool down and putting his helmet back on. Jason unlocked the showers and walked through the gym, startling several crewmen that were awake at this hour for a late workout. He entered the cargo hold and punched the display on the elevator and waited for it to arrive.

"Umm, excuse me? Maverick?" Jason looked over his shoulder and saw Tali standing behind him rubbing her hands together. "Are you busy right now?"

He looked back at the elevator and saw that it was a long way from reaching them before turning to the Quarian girl. "Sure, is there something you need?" he asked giving her his full attention.

Tali ran her hands together a little more roughly before speaking. "I was just wondering...you know if your okay with it...if-"

"Calm yourself, Tali. I may be a dangerous individual, but that's only to those that really piss me off." said Jason making her pause. "Your part of the crew, you can trust me with anything if you need it. Just don't bullshit me, okay?"

The Quarian let out a deep breath, "Okay. Well, that hacking program you were able to create on Therum? I was wondering...if I could have a copy of it?" she managed to squeeze out.

Jason smiled under his helmet, "Your pilgrimage gift." he said making her stand up straighter. "I have a Quarian friend back on the Citadel. She was on pilgrimage too before she met her fiance."

"As for the hacking program there isn't much I can do for you there. I had my personal VI create it using stolen Geth programming codes, and it's keyed to my suit specifically because of that."

He saw her looking depressed when he spoke again, "However, the program also allows me to enter their data banks unhindered. And since the memory cores are only wiped when they die they pretty much become an open book." he pulled an OSD from a pouch on his waist and held it up. "I pulled all of this from the Geth I hacked on Therum. It was a relatively new platform, but it shared consensus with several older models. The data here mostly talks about the 'Morning War' which must mean the Geth's interpretation of the war with your people, and a few events that followed it. It doesn't mean much to me. But to your people..."

Tali slowly took the disc, "It...It could mean much more. Ever since we were exiled 300 years ago my people have been trying to understand the evolution of the Geth. This may be able to help us understand just a little more." she looked up at him with her eyes shining, "Thank you, Maverick."

Jason nodded, "I hope that this will help you as much as your data helped us. I guess you can call us even."

Tali nodded, thanking him one more time before heading off back to engineering. Shaking his head and chuckling to himself, Jason stepped onto the now open lift and punched the display for the crew deck.

Just as the doors were about to close a large hand stopped them. Wrex's hulking form stepped inside and stood next to him as the doors closed again and the lift started to ascend.

The tension in the small space was palpable. So Jason was expecting what happened next.

The Krogan stepped forward and slammed his fist on the console over the emergency stop switch causing the lift to stall halfway between floors. Wrex turned and nearly got in the Spectre's face. "Something on your mind Wrex?" the nano soldier asked not feeling the least bit intimidated.

"How the hell do you know how to remove a Krogan's head plate?" the Warlord growled deeply.

"You learn a few things here and there. I know that it's considered one of the greatest blasphemies to your people considering your history. But it was the best weakness to exploit on our enemy in that situation." said Jason.

Wrex pointed a claws finger in his face, "You will tell no one...understand?"

Jason raised an unseen eyebrow, "That so? And if I refuse?"

The Krogan reared his head back. Jason quickly side-stepped the headbutt, **"Maximum Power."** he delivered one of his own that knocked Wrex back a step. The warlord regained his barrings and looked to charge when he saw the Spectre with his knife out.

He froze. Memories of what that blade had done to the Krogan on Therum still fresh in his mind. To remove a Krogan's head plate would be like removing all the teeth from a Varren. You'd strip away everything that made them strong and honorable. They'd be nothing but useless flesh.

"Relax Wrex, I'm not going to tell anyone." said Jason slipping the knife back in it's sheath. "Too many people would exploit that weakness, and I honestly think the Krogan have suffered more than enough since the genophage."

Wrex relaxed slightly, but kept his guard up just in case. "You know of the genophage?"

The nano soldier nodded, "Yes. Sterility plague made by the Salarians, dropped on your people by the Turians. Honestly, your people have every right to be pissed. No parent should ever have to watch their children die when they never had the chance to experience life."

He reached out and put his hand on the Krogan's shoulder. "I may not know the Krogans' pain, but I can understand your rage."

Wrex was silent, red slitted eyes cast to the floor. Jason removed his hand and started the elevator again. "Your right." He turned and glanced at the Warlord who was looking back. "You will never know our pain. But it's good to know that there is at least some people out there that are willing to understand."

When the lift stopped and the door opened the large alien stomped out and headed toward the mess hall. Jason watched him go before heading to his quarters. It'd been a long day and his bed was calling to him.

X

 **Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Mess Hall**

 **July 28, 2183 - 05:21 hours**

Jane stepped out of her private quarters dressed in a dark blue tank top and sweat pants, hair up in a loose ponytail and yawning as she headed to the mess for her morning coffee.

The skeleton crew was still around and about to call it a day and let the next shift take over meaning the kitchen would be vacant and quiet. Exactly what the Commander needed to gather her thoughts for the day ahead.

Admiral Hackett had contacted her over the last two days and informed her of a situation occurring at Luna base. A VI had gone rogue and had killed several trainees in a live-fire exercise, they were now enroute to Luna in the Sol system to take care of the situation before it got worse.

Rounding the last corner, the Commander stopped in her tracks. She wasn't alone in the mess hall.

At one of the tables with his back to her was Maverick. His helmet sitting next to him on the table as he appeared to be drinking from a mug. From the angle she was at she couldn't see his face. His shaved head had a little stubble growing from it, but was still too short to get an accurate color.

Jane swallowed as she took a step forward.

 **"Proximity Alert."** chimed a deep monotone voice from the vigilante's helmet.

Maverick grabbed his helmet and quickly snapped it back on before the voice finished speaking, turning to see her standing there a moment later. "Commander, up for your morning coffee?"he asked with his filtered voice casually.

"Y-Yes." she said a little startled at how fast he moved. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked heading to the kitchen to get her coffee.

"I'm always up at this hour. Best time to eat without someone seeing me." he said watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Jane looked up at him, "You know, you don't have to keep yourself hidden all the time. We do know a thing or two about secrecy." she said honestly.

Maverick nodded. "We still enroute to Luna Base?" he asked changing the subject quickly.

"Should be there in about ten hours. According to Hackett the VI has three terminals in separate locations to keep it online. We'll have to hit all three fast if we want to shut it down without anymore casualties." replied the Commander letting the subject change slide.

"We'll split up. I can hit one of the terminals. You take a small team to take down another. We'll link up and hit the last terminal in force, by that point the VI will know we're trying to shut it down and have that terminal heavily guarded." he said standing.

"Sounds like a good plan. But do you really want to go after one of the terminals alone? You could take a team for backup." said Jane.

"I can work faster on my own. And with my cloaking I can get past most of the security units that will most likely be guarding the terminal." said the other Spectre as he began to leave the room. "I'll be ready when we reach the moon. Until then, Shepard." he said turning the corner.

Jane watched him go and shook her head. She'd get that man to open up if it was the last thing she did.

And Jane Shepard never gave up when her mind was set on something.

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: I'll have the next update up and ready tomorrow, so be ready my readers!**_


	25. Chapter 24

_**A/N: As promised, and you shall receive! Been loving the massive jaunt this story has gotten in the last couple of days since I started updating again, it was definitely worth the wait.**_

 _ **A couple of readers sent me messages regarding how Maverick is more than a bit overpowered. And although I do agree that the nano suit makes the wearer a damn super-human, that doesn't mean that they're indestructible. Even the Doom Slayer can be killed depending on the situation and any gamer out there can agree he's the epitome of badass.**_

 _ **Regardless, Jason's tough and the suit makes him even more so. But don't forget that he's still Human. And I think this particular chapter will prove that.**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Luna Training Base - Sol System**

 **July 28, 2183 - 16:07 hours**

Seeing the moon up close wasn't as thrilling as Jason had originally thought it would be. After everything he had seen and experienced, the place just couldn't match up.

However the view of Earth from his spot at the Mako's navigation was another thing entirely.

"Now that's some view." said Jane as she drove them up and over a small ridge. "I can guarentee that most people don't really stop and think about how beautiful the Earth is until you see it like this."

"At times, it's always good to look at the small things in life. It gives you something more to think about in a rough situation." said Jason as he had SECOND map out their route to the training base where the rampant VI was stationed.

"That sounded personal." said the Commander coming up to the base of a large plateu before driving the rover up the small incline.

The Post-Human shrugged, "Perhaps." he said as they came to the top of the plateu where three bunkers could be seen half a click away. **"Warning: Stationary Guns Coming Online. Ordinance Incoming."** warned SECOND.

"INCOMING!" he shouted, grabbing the wheel from Shepard and jerking it to the right as two missiles exploded against the ground where they would have been.

"The VI must have rewritten the base's stationary guns to attack anyone who got close!" shouted Garrus from the turret as he tried to pick off the six heavy guns at a distance.

Jason pulled up his HUD and marked the six guns. One of them exploded from a well placed shot curtiousy of the Turian in the gunner seat. "Shepard, if you can bring us in closer I think I can retake one of the guns and give us an advantage." he said taking out his omni-tool.

Jane spun the wheel to avoid an oncoming missile. "How much closer?" she asked twisting the rover in different directions so they didn't take a direct hit.

"Just another 10 meters." he said as he kept two of the guns within view.

When the Commander got within range, Jason fired up the hacking program SECOND had put together. **"Connection Established."** said SECOND as two wavelengths appeared on his HUD. **"Unknown Connection Detected. Running Purge Sequence."**

"Maverick? What's taking so long with that hacking?" asked Ashley from the back as she and Tali were jostled around with the Commander's driving.

"The VI is fighting for control of the guns. Just give me a second." he replied as he and his suit's AI worked together to overpower the VI's programming. _'Dammit, who knew EDI's primative form was this formidable.'_ he through to himself as he managed to get the wavelengths to match up.

Outside, the guns on the bunker to the far right shuddered before turning and firing on the three remaining guns. One exploding as the remaining two targeted the hacked ones. Garrus swung the cannon around and fired taking out another gun as the two that were hacked cleared out the last one.

"Garrus, target the hacked guns before the VI can regain control!" the nano soldier called over his shoulder.

The Turian targeted the guns and took them out quickly as Jane rolled up to the first bunker. "Alright everyone, activate suit seals. We're going out." she said snapping her helmet on and sealing it with the rest of her hard suit.

When the hatch of the Mako opened Jason immediately felt the weightlessness of zero-gravity for the first time. _**"**_ **Vacuum Detected. Oxygen Seals Enaged."** he felt the nano suit pressurize around him from within as his foot touched down on the surface of the moon.

Jane looked at the vigilante as the rest of the team filed out of the rover. "You sure about this, Maverick? You don't have to go alone." she said taking out her shotgun.

"I can handle it, Commander. Stay in radio contact and let me know when you shut down the servers in your bunker, I'll let you know when I do the same." he said heading over to the bunker next to the one Shepard and her team was going into.

The team watched him stop at the door and quickly hack it before going inside. "You think he'll be alright?" asked Tali as they approached their bunker and she started hacking the door panel.

"I think we should be more worried about how much the Alliance will be paying to repair the damage he does." said Garrus chuckling.

"After the last mission, I wouldn't be surprised." said Ashley as the bunker opened and they stepped inside.

X

Jason surveyed the room that lead to the rest of the facility. Jane had told him that each bunker containing the VI's servers wasn't very big, but was equiped with a dozen security drones each to ensure no one attacked the servers or the personnel that were there to maintain them.

Shotgun in hand, the nano soldier crept through the reception area. Datapads and various pieces of equipment laid scattered across the floor confirming that people were attempting to leave in a hurry.

Pulling an overturned locker upright, Jason checked the pulse of a technician that was laying underneith. Dead.

 _"Maverick, it's Shepard. What's your status?"_ asked the Commander.

"Quiet so far. Though I have a feeling we won't be finding any survivors while we're here." he said leaving the dead man behind and heading to the door leading farther into the bunker.

 _"I have the same feeling. Let us know if your situation changes. Shepard out."_

The door opened to a large open room with several pillars, power conduits and terminals set up. It was too easy.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** Slipping inside. Jason activated his visor as multiple red blips appeared on his motion tracker. Over a dozen security drones hovered in the air around the room scanning for intruders. **"Scanning...Assault and Rocket Security Drones Confirmed. Tactical Options Avaliable."**

An open assault on the drones would be a bad idea considering the closed in space. Even the nano suit couldn't hold up against so much firepower all at once. So the nano soldier decided to skirt his away around the drones toward the door on the other side of the room that lead to the server rooms.

His energy meter dropped little by little with each step he took the longer he stayed cloaked, so he timed his movements just right to avoid detection. Stepping around and over debris and a couple of bodies of technicians and a few Alliance marines that were trapped inside when the VI went rogue.

When he reached the door he made it inside and sealed it behind him when he suddendly became visible. **"Energy Depleated."** With his shotgun raised, he made his way down the corridor to a T-shaped junction. He went left first and entered the room at the far end revealing the first server room of the bunker.

"Shepard, I'm in the first server room." he said shouldering the weapon and planting small demolition charges on the four servers.

There was the sound of gunfire over the comm line before everything went quiet. _"We just finished moping up the last of the drones on our end. We're about to hit up our own."_ said the Commander.

Finished in this room, Jason left and headed for the next server room and doing the same as before. Once finished with the four servers, he looked up at the terminal in the room as lines of code scrolled across it.

Interested, he stood up and approached the terminal. Omni-tool activated as he started going through the codes.

After a few moments the lines of code stopped scrolling as a single line was highlighted. He smirked, "Hello, EDI." he mumbled as he started hitting a few keys on his omni-tool. The code fragment copied to his personal data cache for safe keeping.

"This will come in handy in the future." he said shutting down the device and taking out the detonator for the charges.

 **"Maximum Armor."** he pressed the button. The eight servers contained within the bunker all exploded in a shower of sparks. The lights flickered through out the bunker before an alarm resonated all around.

Jason drew his shotgun and headed to the door. Pressing his back to the wall next to it before slamming his fist against the panel. It slid open just as three Assault Drones flew into the corridor in search of the disturbance.

Pulling a grenade from his pack, the Post-Human primmed it before throwing it into the air in the middle of the three drones. The explosion sending them careening into the walls around them before crashing to the ground.

Jason rolled from the wall and moved down the corridor with his armor ability still activated. He made it past the three destroyed drones when SECOND alerted him. **"Ordinance Incoming."** He threw himself back as two small rockets struck the wall he had been standing next to.

He moved around cover and fired three quick rounds into the Rocket Drone that had fired at him. The hovering machine shuddered when reach shot hit their mark, sparks shooting out of it's frame before one final shot caused it to fall to the ground and explode.

Two more Assault Drones flew into the corridor and opened fire on the nano soldier forcing him back into cover. When the hail of bullets ended he leaned back out and fired a few more shots into the machines and taking them out before having to vent his weapon.

 _"Maverick, we've finished with the servers on our end and are heading back to the Mako. What's your status?"_ asked Shepard.

A rocket struck his chest, sending him crashing to the floor. Dropping his energy completely and sending his shotgun clattering away. Jason rolled back behind cover as the suit's energy slowly began to refill.

"I'll call you back." he said taking out his assault rifle and putting a three round burst into one of the drones causing it to spin out of control and crash into another, destroying both.

The remaining four drones hovered just outside the entrance to the corridor, just out of sight so he couldn't get a lock on them.

Shouldering his rifle, he picked up his shotgun and also put it away before taking out his omni-tool. He ran for the opening, charging the device with the nano suit's energy as he moved before sliding across the ground the last few meters.

He slid out of the corridor right under the four drones and fired a strong overload into the air that short circuted all the drones and dropped them to the floor lifeless.

 **"Energy Depleated."** said SECOND as he got back to his feet. "Gotta work on improving that a bit." Jason said to himself as he headed for the exit.

 **"Ordinance Incoming."** a missile exploded against his left side sending the nano soldier crashing through a terminal. Pain rippled through him as he crawled into cover, a lone Rocket Drone hovering not far away firing another shot in his direction.

"SECOND, status." He grunted as the pain in his side flared up.

 **"Suit Integrity 71%. Tissue Damage Detected. Repairs in Progress..."**

Jason grabbed his left arm and cracked it back in place as the nanites in his body began to fix the damage. Drawing his Hammer pistol with his right hand as he got up and emptied the clip into the drone. The heavy pistol rounds tearing through the machine's frame easily as it fell to the floor.

He quickly reloaded and moved toward the exit, cursing himself along the way. "I should have paid closer attention to the damn corners." he said taking out his omni-tool and applying medigel to take the edge off.

Even though the nano suit was the pinnacle of armed combat in the Crysis universe, the wearer was still Human. And as such prone to making mistakes in the field if not careful. And because of that Jason had been on the recieving end of a _lot_ of stray rounds, explosions, and enemies that had managed to flank him.

He wasn't perfect, even with the nano suit and the nanites he was still just a soldier with flaws and weaknesses...no matter how hard he tried to overcome them.

X

The Mako pulled up next to the bunker as the team saw Jason walk out. Jane popped the hatch allowing him inside. "Everything go alright in there?" she asked as they began moving toward the last bunker.

The vigilante shrugged, "Nothing too bad. Two down, one to go." he said shifting in his seat next to her.

Jane caught him favoring his left side a little. He leaned a little farther to the left than he did when they first arrived, meaning something happened down in the bunker that he wasn't telling her or the others about.

"You sure nothing happened down there?" she pressed as they pulled up to the last bunker.

Jason looked in her direction. "Positive, Shepard. Nothing to worry about." he said with finality as they piled out. The Commander watched him go and shook her head. The man was as stubborn as she was, and with that she knew she wouldn't be able to get much out of him when he was like this.

Deciding to let it go, she approached the team as they stacked up on either side of the door. Tali hacked the controls and they piled inside weapons drawn. "The VI knows we shut down the two server locations. It'll most likely fortefy it's last two sets of servers well." said the Quarian as they stepped into the reception area.

Jane walked over to the door and hit the panel. The door slid apart revealing a wall of blue energy that rippled like water. "Kinetic barrier. The VI must have set them up to keep us out." she said to the others.

"Can it be hacked?" asked Garrus.

Tali approached it with her omni-tool and scanned it. "Unfortunetly no. This was designed as a failsafe incase the base got overrun with hostiles. It was created to keep those who were here safe until backup arrived." she explained.

Jason approached the wall of energy and looked it over a moment. **"Maximum Power."** he raised his fist and punched the barrier as hard as he could. The blue field immediately changed to a bright orange as the Spectre stuck it again where it vanished into thin air. "We don't have a lot of time for finess. He have to shut this thing down before it does something drastic." he heading into the corridor beyond.

"He's right, let's move out team." ordered Shepard as they followed after.

The next door revealed another barrier that Jason brought down with his fists so they didn't overheat/waste ammo needlessly. The room after it was similar to the one in the last bunker in terms of size and design, but the furniture and equipment were in different locations.

However there was another thing that was similar.

"Drones!" Ashley shouted taking out one of the controlled Assault Drones as it came at them. The whole team opened fire as more of the machines came at them from all sides.

With the nanites still repairing his injuries. Jason kept his left side close to a wall or cover as he fought with the team. Giving the microscopic machines enough time to fix the damage properly.

SECOND had already finished repairing most of the suit damage which helped them all greatly. **"Maximum Armor."** he stood out of cover and pumped his shotgun into a Rocket Drone that was trying to lock onto Garrus from behind.

A few rounds bounced off of his back before he spun around and grabbed the Assault Drone that flanked him by the barrel of it's turret 'head'. Quickly ripping the part from the machine and throwing it aside before resuming the fight.

Jane's shotgun overheated after taking down her third drone. Switching to her assault rifle she wasted no time taking out the last one as the team stood back up and assessed their situation. "The objectives are the same as the last two places. Find the servers, destroy them, and shut this VI down."

Everyone nodded as they began to head deeper in. Keeping sharp eyes out for anymore surprises the VI might send their way.

After taking down a few more barriers, the team made quick work of the first server room before moving onto the last one. The moment the door to the final room opened the team immediately went into cover as heavy machine gun rounds tore through the open doorway.

In the center of the room containing the last four servers and terminal was a YIMR mech. It's cylinder head swiveling from side to side searching for the hostiles it had detected.

"Alright...any ideas?" asked Garrus as he peeked around his cover next to Tali.

"We can't shut down the VI unless we take it out." said Jane as she thought of something. She looked at Jason before her eyes trailed down to the bow and small quiver of arrows he carried with him. "Maverick, can I borrow one of your explosive arrows?"

Confused, Jason took out one of the arrows and handed it to her. Jane shouldered her assault rifle and took the arrow, "On my signal, detonate it." without warning she spun around the corner and ran at the large mech.

The YIMR saw her coming and opened fire. But the Commander was too fast for it to lock on to her as she slid across the ground and jammed the arrow into its right knee joint. "MAVERICK NOW!" she shouted diving behind cover.

Jason hit the detonator on his omni-tool and the arrow exploded. Blowing the YIMR's legs apart and causing it to collapse on to the ground. It sruggled to get up for a moment before collapsing back down, optic dimming until it went offline.

Jane stood back up and dusted her hands off as the team filed into the room. "That...was some crazy shit, Skipper." said Ashley grinning.

The Commander shrugged, "Sometimes you have to do crazy things to make sure everyone gets out okay." she looked at her fellow Spectre. "Thanks for loaning me an arrow."

"It was worth it in the end. That was pretty impressive, Shepard." said Jason honestly. Seeing her do something like that gave him a little more insight into what the Commander was capable of in different combat scenarios.

"Let's take down these servers and get out of here. I think we overstayed our welcome." said Garrus heading to one of the terminals with his weapon raised.

"I have a better idea." said Jason kneeling by the dead YIMR with his omni-tool flared. After a few seconds the large mech started beeping loudly. "Everybody out!" he shouted. The team didn't think twice as the ran from the room. The vigilante sealing the door behind them as the mech overloaded and blew the whole room apart.

When the dust cleared the door was reopened to reveal a completely trashed server room. All of the equipment was destroyed, wall charred black with debris wedged into a few spots here and there from the force of the blast.

The only thing still standing was the terminal that looked the worst for wear. The holo-keyboard and screen flickered on and off as data scrolled across it. It suddently gave a loud chime as it displayed a screen covered in binary code before shutting down completely.

Jane nodded before turning to the group, "We're done here. I'll contact Admiral Hackett when we get back to the _Normandy_ and let him know the mission was a success. Everyone back to the Mako; let's get the hell outta here."

As the team left. Jason cast one last look at the blank terminal before following after them.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Jason's Room**

 **July 28, 2183 - 19:10 hours**

The debriefing had been short. Shepard got a hold of Hackett and told him that everything had been taken care of.

The Admiral was happy to know that the Commander was still helping the Alliance even though she had duties of a Spectre now. Jane had told him that the Alliance was there for her and she'd be there for them if they needed her no matter what.

Jason laid in his bed starring at the ceiling. Helmet off. Door locked and encrypted. With his omni-tool on with a few Breaking Benjamin songs playing softly in the background. Meeting EDI's 'younger' form had opened a huge opportunity to him and he took it, he only hoped that it would help them in two years when the Collectors made an appearence.

The nanites just about finished repairing the damage done to his left side. It wasn't serious, a dislocated shoulder and three broken ribs. Thankfully the nano suit took the brunt of it, even without the armor mode the suit offered a good amount of protection.

But after a while even the suit wouldn't be able to stop everything. Even nano soldiers could die on the battlefield if they weren't careful.

Taking a deep breath, Jason closed his eyes and tried to relax. They were heading back to the Citadel to stock up on a few things and take a little shore leave before going right back into the heat of things. They'd be there in a few days and Jason was looking forward to seeing Chellick and Reena again.

He hadn't been able to talk with his two friends for a little while now and it bothered him a little. The three of them had been through a lot and Jason considered them to be like family. And being out of the suit for a little while would make him feel better and less confined.

As he laid there the nano soldier couldn't help the feeling that something was going to happen soon. Similar to the feeling he had several times before when things took a bad turn.

Shrugging it off, he let himself drift off to sleep.

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: The crew has met EDI, albeit a much younger and less intelligent version, but EDI none the less. And you can believe that Jason has something up his sleeve in the future._**

 ** _Keep the reviews flowing, and I'll keep the updates flowing!_**


	26. Chapter 25

_**A/N: Another day, another update. And I have a feeling that I will have the first part of this story done in no time at all at the current rate I'm going.**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Bridge**

 **July 29, 2183 - 13:00 hours**

Joker went through the proper procedures as the _Normandy_ docked with the Citadel. Jason stood on the bridge next to Jane as the frigate made its approach and the magnetic clamps locked in place. "Alright ladies and gentlemen, we have officially docked with the Citadel. Please put your seats in the upright lock positions and don't forget to tip the stewardess'." said the helmsman.

Jane shook her head at Joker's antics before turning to her fellow Spectre. "You have plans while we're all getting supplies?" she asked as they headed to the airlock.

"I have a few things to pick up as well. More ammo for my weapons, explosives, and a project I started long before I came on to the _Normandy_." said the Post-Human as the airlock began to cycle.

"Do I even want to know what you have planning?" she asked as they exited the ship into the docking area.

Before the nano soldier could respond they were approached by a man wearing Alliance dress blues with the insignia for Rear Admiral proudly displayed. "Rear Admiral Mikhailovich, sir." said Shepard quickly standing at attention and snapping a salute.

Mikhailovich saluted back, "Commander Shepard. I see the _Normandy_ is serving well as a _Spectre vessel_." he said disdainfully.

"Sir?" asked Jane confused.

"I command the 63rd Scout Flotilla. You and the _Normandy_ were slated for my unit after shakedown." said the Rear Admiral. "Then the Council got their paws...Claws. Tentacles. Whatever. They got them on our ship. And you."

"I still serve the Alliance, sir. As a Spectre, I can advance our interests to the Council." Shepard reasoned.

Mikhailovich scoffed, "You still know what color your blood is, Shepard?"

Jason stepped forward, "That's some nerve, Rear Admiral. The Commander has achieved what Humanity has been striving for, for some time now. And we're on a mission to ensure that another Eden Prime incident doesn't occur."

"Ah yes. _Maverick_." Mikhailovich said stiffly. "I've heard many things about you from Admiral Hackett. Personally I don't understand why the Alliance higher ups haven't managed to recruit you yet."

"If I remember correctly, you sent more than one message to me _requesting_ that I join the Alliance and help protect Humanity." replied Jason. "And I also remember telling you that I protect _everyone_ who needs to be protected."

The two stared each other down a moment before the Rear Admiral spoke again. "Despite our difference of opinion. I don't begrudge the politicians' decision to throw you both to the Council. It's an...opportunity. I _do_ begrudge this over designed piece of tin, though." he said leering at the _Normandy_.

"The _Normandy_ is a fine ship, sir. She's served us well so far." said Jane.

"It's a gimmick, Commander. Useless in a stand-up fight." said Mikhailovich. "This experiment diverted billions from our appropriation bills. For the sam price, we could've had a heavy cruiser. But no, we had to make nice to the Turians. Throw money at a co-developed boondoggie."

"Brute force isn't always the answer, Rear Admiral." said Jason crossing his arms. "There have been several times where stealth proved to be the more effective method for me than simply storming enemy territory. And that's exactly what the _Normandy_ is capable of. The stealth system allows it to fly in, hit a target, and flee before the enemy can discover it was there."

"It is also able to drop a shadow team behind enemy lines without detection for recon and sabotage. I don't think a heavy cruiser would prove that effective."

The Rear Admiral narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the nano soldier while Shepard looked at him in slight shock. "Regardless, I am here to make an inspection of this vessel. It is an Alliance warship. I intend to see if she's up to snuff."

"Be our guest, sir." said Jane. Mikhailovich nodded before walking around them and entering the _Normandy's_ airlock. "How do you know so much about the _Normandy's_ systems?" she asked the vigilante next to her.

"I'm a Spectre too, and your partner. It's also my job to know the vessel we're leading into a firefight. So I read up on every piece of information we have on the ship, learning it's strengths and weaknesses just in case." replied Jason.

They waited for almost 20 minutes when the Rear Admiral reappeared. "Commander. I'm not happy." he said evenly.

"I'm sorry to hear that, sir." said Shepard. Jason rolled his eyes behind his visor.

"Who designed that CIC? Putting the Commander aft of everyone else is inefficient. What if he needs to discuss with the operators toward the bow?" The Rear Admiral ranted.

"Modified Turian style. They prefer Commanders looking over their subordinates, rather than in the middle of them. We wanted to see how effectively they can command with that setup." explained Jane.

Mikhailovich mulled it over, "Hmm. Reasonable goal. But they should have studied that in the lab rather than on the front-line warship." He shook his head, "I had to shake my head at that drive core of yours. 120 billion credits of element zero to make this thing able to move without giving itself away. You realize we could make drive cores for 12,000 fighters with that money?"

"And as I explained to you, Rear Admiral. One ship moving fast and quiet can do a lot more than dozens that can hit hard. It's not always about strength, but about the best way to hit the enemy." said Jason.

"Maybe. But that's not the job of a proper warship." said Mikhailovich. "Above all else we need to talk about your crew. "Krogan? Asari? Turians? What are you thinking? You can't allow alien nationals free access to Alliance equipment!"

Jason clenched both fists, but Jane spoke up. "Between Saren and the Geth, we have enough enemies out there. Treating other species with suspicion and distrust won't win hearts and minds." she said evenly.

The Rear Admiral crossed his arms. "That assumes that hearts and minds are worth winning. That hasn't been proven yet."

"Just like whether or not the Alliance is worth joining." the nano soldier bit out. "If you keep burning bridges you'll have no allies when your back's to a wall. Humanity won't always be able to stand on it's own. We have to learn to work together with the other species in Council space, not distance ourselves from them."

There was silence before Mikhailovich adjusted the collar of his dress blues. "I'm not convinced _Normandy_ isn't a waste of taxpayer money. But I am convinced that the two of you believe otherwise. And that you'll use it to its best ability. I'll be submitting a report to the Joint Military Council. It will not be as negative as I had planned."

He saluted the two before him, "Commander, Maverick. Good hunting." with that he headed toward the elevator.

"Well...that could have gone better." Jason said sarcastically. The airlock behind them opening as the rest of the crew were going to take advantage of the minor shore leave they were given.

"Hopefully it'll give the Alliance brass something to chew on while we deal with all of this." said the Commander as they got into the elevator and rode it down to the C-Sec Academy.

They took two steps out of the lift when they were blind-sided by someone that made Jason's eyes roll again. _'That's it...god hates me.'_

"Commander Shepard, Maverick. Khalisah bint Sinan Al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Would you two mind answering a few questions for our viewers?" asked the infamous reporter.

"What do you want to know?" asked Jane.

"You two have been given a unique position to represent our race. People want to get a sense of how you'll do that." said Al-Jilani as she activated her omni-tool and the hovering camera behind her turned on shining a light on the both of them.

"Humans have been trying to get the respect of the galactic community for 26 years. With that in mind, what are your feelings on being the first Human Spectres? she asked.

Jane relaxed her shoulders, "The Spectres represent the best of every species in the galaxy. To be asked to join them is an honor." she said honestly. Jason just nodded next to her in agreement.

Al-Jilani made a few notes in her omni-tool, "Some have said your appointment is the Citadel 'throwing Humans a bone'. Have either of you encountered any situations where the Citadel asked you to place its needs before the needs of Earth?"

"The Council is concerned with the needs of the whole galactic community. We're part of that community now. Humanity's needs are on their agenda like everyone else's." said Jason. "But we're one of many."

"You really believe that, don't you?" asked the reporter pointedly. "You've been given Command of an advanced warship for your mission. Is there anything you'd like to say about it?"

She was digging, trying to find any useful information to manipulate for her own gain. Jason knew this. Shepard did not. He needed to find a way to shut this down before it got out of hand fast.

"Actually, the _Normandy_ was co-developed by Human and Turian engineers. Its design incorporate many innovations. All of which are classified, I'm afraid." said the Commander. Jason winced, this was going to hurt.

"So the Turians have knowledge of the _Normandy_ that is being kept secret from the Alliance public?" asked Al-Jilani with a slight smile in her voice. "Do you think it was appropriate to hand Earth's most advanced warship over to the Citadel?" she pressed.

"The _Normandy_ wasn't 'handed over' to anyone." said Jason. "We are in command and last I checked we're both Human. Same goes for the crew."

Al-Jilani looked at the vigilante, "Considering who you are and what you've done, it's hard to consider you 'Human' Maverick."

The blood under his skin boiled. The Post-Human fought back the urge to knock the head off of the woman's shoulders. Jane must have seen this and stepped in, "I've fought along side Maverick since we started working together. If there is anyone I wouldn't mind having my back it would be him. So I'd be careful about how you project him."

Tension started to rise quickly. Though the reported looked like she could care less. "The last question I have is for you personally Commander Shepard." she said looking up from her omni-tool. "With your past, are you worried that your mission will be compromised due to emotional trauma?"

The camera exploded when Jason's fist went through it. "That's fucking enough!" he roared making the woman stumble back in fear. "Your job is to show facts and honesty. Not a goddamn smear campaign to give yourself more ratings. And honestly, how would the public feel to know that your personally attacking the first _Human Spectres_ to make _you_ look better."

At that point everyone around them were watching. Jane took a deep breath and put her hand on the nano soldier's arm. "Let it go, Maverick. She's not worth the words if she can't do her job right."

Jason glanced at her before looking back at the terrified reporter. "Your right Shepard. I think we have better things to do." they both stepped away and headed toward the rapid transit station. He looked at the Commander who looked to be off in her own world. "You okay?" he asked gently.

Jane rolled her shoulders, "Fine." she said simply punching in the coordinates into the terminal.

He reached out and grabbed her shoulder when the cab's door opened. "Shepard...I know your past is horrible. I've read about the Mindoir incident, it couldn't have been easy for anyone." She looked up at him. "I can use my words well, but I can also listen if you need it."

She was silent and Jason took that as the que to leave. He started walking toward the exit to the academy when he heard her speak behind him. "Thank you." he smiled under his helmet and activated his cloak.

Jane watched him go and couldn't help but feel a little better from his words.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Stargaze Restaurant - Lower Wards**

 **July 29, 2183 - 15:04 hours**

Hitting up his apartment first and sending several crates to the _Normandy_ 's docking area. Jason put his nano suit away and dressed in a black t-shirt, jeans and combat boots before firing off a message to Reena saying to meet up with him.

Stargaze reminded the Post-Human of the old fashioned diners back in his universe. They sold a variety of foods to various races and was considered one of the best/cheapest places to eat on this side of the sector.

It was also his, Chellick, and Reena's usual meeting place after they all got out of work on some nights.

Arriving at the building, Jason stepped inside and was approached by an Asari hostess. "Welcome. Table for one?" she asked kindly.

"I'm actually part of a group of three. My two friends should be joining me soon." he said back.

"We're here Jason." he turned as Reena and Chellick stepped inside, both smiling at him. "Hay guys, glad you could join me." he said receiving a hug from Reena.

"Been gone almost a week, how has everything been going?" asked Chellick.

"Let's get a table and I'll give you an update." replied Jason as the hostess lead them to a table in the back to the restaurant. "This mission's slow going. But we're making progress little by little." he told his friends lowly while looking over the menu.

"You are going after someone who was one of the top Spectres of the Council. Of course he'd be difficult to catch." said Reena drinking from a sealed bottle of purified water through a straw.

"Been looking for anything around here to give you a hand, but damn if Saren wasn't thorough before he left." said Chellick

Jason waved him off, "You did your best, thanks for that. Nhilus managed to send a couple pieces of information that could give us a clue on where to go next, so we're making progress." The waitress came and took their orders before quickly departing. "Though with what connections we have we might be able to narrow things down sooner." he said leaning back in his chair.

"Have the crew figured out who you are?" asked Reena.

Shaking his head, Jason gave a smirk. "Not yet, there have been a few close calls but I've managed to cover my tracks."

Chellick scratched his right mandible. "You can't keep it up forever, Jason. Something's going to eventually happen that will force you out of the suit and into the open. I just hope you're ready for the backlash when it does."

Jason nodded seriously, "Believe me, I am. And I know how rough things will get when I do tell everyone." he leaned on the table and thought hard to himself. "Worse case scenario, I'll just tell them and show them the same thing I did to you guys."

The couple gasped. "Are you sure they can handle all of that? And keep it a secret?" asked Reena desperately.

"I can trust them." the nano soldier said with conviction. "I've been around them for only a short time, and a part of me knows I can count on them with this when the time comes. Especially Commander Shepard. I don't know why, but I get this feeling that I can trust her with anything. Christ, more than once she almost made me slip up about certain things."

The Turian and Quarian shared a look. Jason raised an eyebrow, "What?".

"You getting the hots for the hero of the Blitz?" asked Chellick bluntly with his mandibles stretched into a Turian smirk. Reena giggled next to him.

Jason froze up, fighting with all his might to keep the blood from his face. "No, she's just a good person and a fantastic soldier. She's easy to get along with." he said leaning back casually.

"He's got it bad." said Reena taking another sip from her drink.

"I do not!" the Post-Human exclaimed, finding it harder to avoid blushing.

"Come on Jason, when are you going to accept that you need a woman in your life?" asked Chellick seriously. "It's been three years since you arrived here and the only thing you've done is kill bad guys, make weapons, work, eat and sleep. You need a social life. One that includes a girlfriend."

Rubbing a hand over his face, Jason went to fire back a retort when their food arrived. As they ate Chellick kept picking at him about looking for a mate and consider making a better life for himself.

The Post-Human wanted to throttle the Turian after too long.

Halfway through their meal the door opened and a large group of people entered. Jason looked up and recognized the dress blues of Alliance personnel as the hostess began seating them all. "That's the crew from the _Normandy_." he said shocking his friends.

A second later Garrus walked through the door. Jason raised his arm and waved in his direction to signal him over. "What's going on Garrus?" he asked as the Turian approached.

"Thought I'd show the crew of the ship I'm now on where to get some good eats around here. And since you, me and Chellick found this place I thought they'd have a good meal here." said Garrus stopping by the side of their table.

Jason nodded, "Yeah, I heard you got recruited by the two Human Spectres. Geez Garrus, finally got bored of all the paper work at C-Sec?" he asked chuckling.

Garrus chuckled back, "Kind of. Going out and killing Geth and blowing apart enemy outposts is a lot more exciting than sitting at a desk."

"Well, I'm proud of you big guy." Jason said shaking the Turian's hand. "And don't forget to write sometime, we get kinda bored while you're out saving the galaxy."

Chellick and Reena were both surprised at Jason's acting skills. He sounded so authentic as he spoke to Garrus. After a bit they decided to play along. "It is pretty boring around here without you, Garrus. Saturday nights aren't the same." said Chellick.

"What? So you guys can bleed me out of my creds? Forget it." replied the former C-Sec officer as the group of friends shared a laugh.

"Hey Garrus, mind introducing your friends." said as a familiar person approached them.

Garrus stepped aside, "Jason, this is Commander Shepard."

Jason gave his best smile despite the situation and held his hand out, "Commander, it's an honor to meet you in person. I've heard a lot of good things about you around the station."

Jane shook his hand, but felt a huge sense of déjà vu. "Something wrong, ma'am?" asked Jason concerned.

"It's nothing...I just feel like I know you from somewhere." she said confused.

Jason kept his face the same, but inside he was afraid.

 _'She couldn't know...could she?'_ he thought desperately.

The Commander suddenly perked up, her eyes narrowing slightly at the man before her. "I know who you are."

Jason kept his poker face up, Reena's eyes widened and Chellick was gripping the table so hard his talons were digging into the surface.

"I've seen your picture up at the weapon shop I visited when I first became a Spectre. Jason Harlow, right?" she asked causing the three of them to let out a breath.

"That's me, ma'am. Been working at Thrax's shop for a while now. I'd like to think I'm getting good at it." replied Jason.

"No doubt." said Shepard taking out her pistol and examining it. "I got this heavy pistol from the shop. The old Krogan said that you put it together with increased accuracy and tungsten round mods. I gotta say it's a fine piece of work."

"Thank you ma'am. That means a lot coming from you." said Jason pushing out as much fake praise as he could into his words.

Jane's omni-tool suddenly went off with a new message. Reading it over quickly she looked at Garrus and told him there was an altercation going on in the docking area. Something about a girl threatening to kill herself as she ran out of the building with Garrus right behind her.

"What was all that about?" wondered Reena.

"Don't know. Hey Jason, you know what's-" Chellick paused seeing Jason gone with a credit chit sitting on the table where he had been. "Spirits, he has to stop doing that." muttered Chellick.

X

Knowing about what was happening in the docking area. Jason swung by his place and threw on the nano suit again before heading to where he knew Jane would be.

Arriving on sight, Jason parked the car in the right area before activating his cloak and entering the docking bays. Inside, he saw the Commander standing strong in front of a fragile woman holding a pistol to her chest.

Getting closer, he heard Jane talking the girl down while slowly approaching her. They both had something in common. They both were born and raised on Mindoir. The difference being that Talitha had been abducted and had to suffer through torture and other horrifying things for years at the hands of Batarian pirates.

Jason could see that it was effecting Shepard. More than once he saw her flinching as the young woman told her story.

Jane talked to her about what had happened to her on Mindoir that day. How she missed her parents and little brother. How the Batarians took everything she ever loved away. Telling Talitha that she could be strong too when she over came what happened .

Talitha took the pill offered to her before Jane pulled her into a hug as she drifted off to sleep. She picked the girl up and handed her off to EMTs that were standing by who quickly took her to the hospital to get help.

It was then another piece of the puzzle that was Commander Shepard fell into place.

He watched her for a little while longer, rubbing her temples before heading toward where the _Normandy_ was docked. The way she moved troubled him. It was almost as if she were trying to escape something.

After this little incident, he'd need to keep a close eye on her.

X

A few hours later the crew was called back to the _Normandy_. Jason hung out with Reena and Chellick and told them he'd drop a message every now and again to let them know he and Garrus were still kicking.

Getting back aboard he could tell Jane was more tense than usual. She was still the same individual as before, but she seemed distracted after what happened earlier. "We got a new heading." she said turning to him. "The colony on Feros has reported a lot of Geth activity. I was also contacted about an Alliance team going dark on the planet Edolus by Rear Admiral Kahoku, it's along the way so we'll be stopping there first."

Jason gave a nod, reminding himself to keep an eye on her again as he headed toward the CIC.

He suddenly stopped mid-step. _'Edolus...fuck me...'_

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: And we venture into dangerous territory once again. There's going to be more character background in the next couple of chapters along with some good combat, for now I hope this sedates all your curiosity for the time being.**_

 _ **New update ready to be fired. Same time, same place tomorrow folks!**_


	27. Chapter 26

_**A/N: One of my readers mentioned via review that a good amount of the content in this story is mimic'd from the original. I just wanted to let everyone know that this is indeed a rewrite that I've taken a hold of after adopting it from DemonFireX. And even though I'm making strides in reinventing the story, bringing it back to life while making it my own, I don't want folks to forget who originally came up with the idea in the first place.**_

 _ **DFX was a good author and made something awesome, and even though he's hung it up in terms of writing I'll make sure that one of his best works isn't forgotten. And I hope beyond all else that those out there reading, fans of the original and newcomers, get everything they were hoping for and more from what I am bringing to the table.**_

 _ **Now then, you're here for the continuation of this badass fic. So I will not leave you waiting any longer.**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Private Quarters**

 **August 1, 2183 - 03:21 hours**

He couldn't sleep. That wasn't anything new.

Jason could survive on very little sleep every now and again with how much his body has changed. He had a little more energy than before and had to find different ways to burn it off so he could actually get a good night's sleep.

At the moment he was at the terminal in his room going over data he'd collected in the last few missions when his strong hearing picked up a noise from the next room. Again not surprising, his and Jane's rooms are right next to each other. Meant so that the Captain and XO could be within close proximity while separate from the rest of the crew. His enhanced hearing doing the rest.

Shepard had nightmares once in a while, the Post-Human wrote that off as a cause from her troubled past. But tonight was different. Ever since the incident at the Citadel with Talitha she'd been getting less and less sleep. The crew had noticed, the ground team had noticed, and he noticed.

He started to hear a bit of thrashing and he couldn't let this happen to her an more if he could help it.

Getting up from his desk he slipped his helmet back on and went to the Commander's room. Making quick work of the door, he peered inside and saw it completely dark save for the slight glow from her terminal's screen.

Jane tossed and turned in her bed, her tank top and sweatpants drenched in sweat as her face contorted in pain. "...no...mom, dad...NO!" she screamed.

Jason gently grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "Shepard. Shepard! JANE WAKE UP!" he shouted.

The Commander bolted awake, her fist connecting with the jaw of his helmet making his head snap to the side slightly. She breathed heavily for a few moments before she managed to get herself back into control. "Maverick?...what?" realization hit her then. "I'm sorry." she said looking upset.

"It's no problem. I heard you from the next room and thought you could use a wake up." he said rolling his neck a bit. "Nice right-cross though."

Jane smiled slightly as she looked back at him, "Wait, you heard me from the next room? How? The bulkhead is too thick."

Jason pointed to where his right ear would be. "Sensitive hearing. Could hear a pin drop across the room, effective when it's needed."

Silence filled the room, "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked a little concerned for the normally strong willed Commander.

She sighed, pulling her legs up to her chest. "The last thing you want to hear is my problems." she said quietly.

The nano soldier grabbed the chair from her desk and sat down next to the bed, "Let me tell you of my observations since I got on this ship, Shepard. You spend a lot of time going around the ship helping everyone with their emotional baggage, yet you never once think of yourself. Out of everyone on this ship you got more right to let things off your chest then you may think."

He leaned forward a little, "And like I said on the Citadel, I'll always be here to listen if you need me to. So...here I am."

Jane sighed as she looked out the view port of her room. "Back on the Citadel, I helped C-Sec with a young woman who was suicidal. It turned out she was from Mindoir...my home." she looked back at him with a defeated look in her eyes. "The whole thing brought up bad memories for me. Making me remember when my home was attacked and my family..." she choked back a breath.

Jason reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me about your family. What were they like?"

She smiled, "Dad served in the First Contact war and retired a few years after I was born. Mom was an engineer serving on the ship he was stationed. They met, fell in love, got married and decided to live a peaceful life as farmers and raise a family together."

"Not long after I turned seven my little brother Carter was born. The kid followed me everywhere, always willing to explore and learn new things. He wanted to be an engineer like mom was, while I wanted to be in the Alliance like dad."

The Commander seemed to have an aura of peace around her remembering the people she loved. "Mindoir was the perfect place to me. Just a bunch of farming folks who cherished each day that passed. There was hardly any trouble for us there. It was home."

Her eyes darkened and her mood turned south, "Then... _that_ day came."

Jason nodded, "The Batarian pirates attacked."

Jane nodded, "It was just like any other day. I had been staying with a friend when the attack happened. They hit the colony's center first and spread out from there. Capturing and killing everyone insight. The colonists fought back hard. But the Batarians had stronger weapons and armor. We were outmatched in numbers and firepower."

"I ran home while they were laying waste to everything. My dad had rounded up our neighbors to defend the women and children. They may had been outmatched, but their courage more than made up for it."

Tears began to build up in her eyes. "All I could do is watch as my father and the other parents were cut down while we tried to escape. They caught up to us, capturing those who were a certain age while killing the ones who were too young to be useful. Mom...she...she pulled a grenade from one of the pirates' belts as they tried to rape her. She killed herself taking half a dozen of the bastards with her."

The nano soldier remained silent as she spoke, mentally making a reminder to slaughter any and all Batarian pirates he came across with extreme prejudice.

"Me and Carter were all that were left. Our friends had all been captured or killed while we tried to hide." she said after a little while. "We were good for a day or so, the slavers started to leave but a few had been left behind to get stragglers. Three of them managed to find our hiding place."

She reached up and touched the scar under her eye, "After what happened to our parents I fought with everything I had to make sure Carter was safe. It took a lot out of me, and I was injured, but I killed the three of them before they had a chance to call for help...then...then..."

The hand on her shoulder squeezed gently giving her a little comfort. Shepard drew in a shuddered breath, "There were actually four slavers. One managed to get to Carter when I was dealing with the others. He had a knife and..."

Jane wiped her eyes, "I killed the bastard. When he...killed Carter, all I saw was red. I made him suffer before he died. After that I woke up in the medbay of an Alliance ship, they said I had gone catatonic when I killed the slavers and they found me with the dead Batarians while I held Carter's body close."

"Jane, you don't have to say anymore." said Jason as she started shaking. The Commander looked up at him before burrowing her face into his chest. Not at all hindered by the hardened weave of his nano suit.

Jason wrapped his arms around Shepard as she cried silently. His heart went out to her. The game always portrayed an unbreakable, unstoppable leader of Humanity. But that was the farthest thing from the truth.

Jane Shepard was just as real and as Human as he was, with a heart and a mind that could be easily broken. She _was_ broken. And she needed someone there to help put the pieces back together again.

He didn't think he was the right one for the job, considering everything that had happened to him up to this point. But as she held him tighter it appeared that it didn't matter in the slightest.

"Thank you." she said leaning back and wiping her face.

"It's alright, you need someone to unload on when things become too much." he said with a light shrug.

Jane looked up at him, "What about you? I mean, you can't honestly tell me that things haven't gotten to much for you more than once."

He was silent, his thoughts diverting toward one example in particular. "Your right, there have been times where things got too much for me."

"Almost eight months ago, I had just stopped a bunch of Red Sand dealers from distributing a new variant of the drug across the Citadel. Since the public knew about me after my actions during the assault on the Presidium I was able to walk around the wards at times without being hounded by C-Sec."

"I was walking back home when this little girl approached me. She couldn't have been no more than eight or nine said her name was Hannah and that she wanted to grow up to be just like me. A hero that saves people."

He chuckled, "Fans and hero worship had become a second nature after what happened with the Eclipse. A lot of kids had come up to me telling me I was a hero and wanted to grow up to be like me. But this girl was different. There was a fire in her eyes that made me realize that I really had given the children of the Citadel another role model to look up to."

Jane smiled, "Sounds like a smart kid."

With the nano suit on he sat as still as a statue as his eyes starred off into the distance behind his visor. "...she was."

The Commander picked up the sudden shift, " _Was?"_

" I was spending my down time around the lower wards. There hadn't been much trouble so I left my suit at home. It was then that I came across an apartment building in flames. C-Sec and the fire department had been combating it for almost an hour before they managed to put it out." he looked at Shepard, "Two people died in the building. One of them was a little girl who had a holo of me clutched in her hands. Hannah died hoping that I would be there to save her."

His shook his head, trying to rid the dark thoughts that brewed in the back of his mind. "The media ate it up. For weeks they made constant reports about how 'Maverick failed' and that if I really was the hero everyone portrayed me as. I never saw myself as a hero, just a man doing his duty to protect the public...but seeing what happened to Hannah..."

"It wasn't your fault. You can't hope to protect and save everyone. Any soldier would tell you that." said Jane.

"I know that better than anyone may think." He looked back at the Commander, "But it's something that haunts me. Knowing I had the power to save someone who believed in me...and I failed them." he said solumnly.

Shepard looked at the bracelet before meeting his gaze again, "I can understand how something like that can effect someone. And the fact that it still hurts you even now just proves that you are still Human under all of that. But you shouldn't let something that was out of your control destroy a part of who you are."

Jason nodded, "Thank you, Shepard. I guess we both just need someone to unload on."

Jane smiled, "You be there for me, I'll be there for you."

"Deal." replied the Post-Human shaking her hand. When the hands dropped, Jason couldn't help but notice the Commander's figure and how tight the tank top was against her breasts.

 _"NO! NO! NO! Stop staring! She's vulnerable right now you jackass!"_ he ranted in his head moving his eyes back to hers even though she couldn't see them. "We'll be at Edolus in a couple hours. Better get some sleep."

The Commander was glad that the room was dark to hide the light blush that dusted her face. "Right. Good night, Maverick." she said trying to hide the fact she had been staring too.

He nodded, "Night, Jane." he said before leaving the room and returning to his own.

Jane pulled her knees against her chest and hugged them, her heart feeling a little lighter and her mind at ease after being able to talk to someone who wouldn't judge and was there for her. Another blush covered her face and her heart rate picked up after he ha said her name when he left.

 _"I wouldn't mind talking to him again like this."_ she thought with a smile.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Orbit Above Edolus**

 **August 1, 2183 - 10:41 hours**

Have you ever been in one of those situations where you knew something bad was going to happen, but didn't know how to tell anyone about it?

That was exactly how Jason felt at that very moment. He knew what they were going to find down there and what was going to happen as a result of it. But he had no way of telling Shepard or the crew about it without giving away the fact he had this knowledge.

The only thing he could do was tag along and make sure people got out alive.

"Maverick." he perked up from preparing his weapons to see Liara approach him wearing a light suit of armor.

"Liara." he said with a nod. "Shepard's finally letting you out into the field with us?"

The Asari smiled, "Yes, she wanted to make sure that I was properly trained with a weapon and was fit for duty before bringing me along. I have to admit it feels good to be able to contribute to the team with more than just my expertise on the Protheans."

"I have a feeling you'll do great. And I had to agree with the Commander on your training. No offense, but you seemed more like the scientist/behind the scenes type instead of a frontal assault soldier." he said honestly.

"I must admit, I had very little experience with a gun in the past. I know the mechanics of it, and a little self defense, but being on a battlefield is something that is very new to me...I just hope that I don't get someone killed with my inexperience." she said clasping her hands together.

"You'll do fine, blue." said Ashley from her station. "I oversaw most of your training personally. Your a damn quick study with weapons and tactics, so don't count yourself out just yet."

Jason couldn't help but smile. Ever since his talk with her, Ashley had been trying to get along with the non-Human crew members much more openly. Granted she was still hesitant every now and again, but it was a lot of progress for someone who was so against being around aliens.

Liara smiled at the Gunnery Chief, "Thank you again, Chief Williams. For all of your help in preparing me."

Ashley waved her off, "No problem, Liara. Just don't go all gunghoe on us out there."

The Asari looked confused, " 'Gunghoe'?"

"She means don't get over confident and think your invincible when we're out in the field. It's a Human phrase that's been around a really long time." Jason explained slamming a clip into his Grendel and slipping it on to his back.

"I see. I still need to learn more about you Humans and your culture. Ancient species has always been my field, but ones that are with us nowadays have eluded me." she explained.

The nano soldier chuckled, "Just talk to the crew. Get to know people and go from there. We got a lot of time in between missions so use that to ask the right questions and learn something new."

The elevator opened revealing Jane already suited up. "Alright folks, let's get to it."

Garrus snapped on the rest of his armor and joined them at the Mako as everyone prepared for the drop.

X

When the Mako touched down, Jason was damn sure that Liara was more white than blue at the moment. "...Goddess...I don't think I'll get used to that..." she groaned from the back proving his thoughts.

"You will. It's always a bit rough the first few times with Privates and Cadets in the Alliance. So don't worry." said Shepard as she gunned the engine and they took off toward the missing teams last known coordinates.

"I don't like this...something doesn't feel right." said Jason as they drew closer to the target.

"What do you mean? Seems like a simple Op to me." said Garrus from the turret.

"Think about it. The only thing that's transmitting to us is the distress beacon that the missing team had tried to respond too. If the team disappeared here, and the beacon is _still active_ , then what the hell happened to them?" he said without giving too much away.

Jane slowed the rover down, "You think it's a trap?"

"Considering the variables we're faced with...I _know_ it's a trap. Everything is too convenient. _Something_ happened to the team that came to investigate, and what drew them in to begin with is still there and they're not. It seems like they were lead here on purpose."

The Mako came to a complete stop. The team was now thinking things over much more closely. With the distress beacon just a click over the next hill they wondered how right the Post-Human was about this.

"We still have to check for clues about what happened to the missing Marines." said Jane hitting a few switches to make sure that the rover's barriers were at full. "Garrus, if it moves and is hostile, kill it."

"Yes ma'am." replied the Turian as the Mako started moving up the hill and over.

Beyond was a large crater, most likely caused by a meteor long ago. The transmission was coming from the center of the crater making the Commander think about what Jason had said about it being too convenient.

They moved across the large open terrain with no trouble at all, but when they reached the location they were greeted with the sight of two Grizzlies that had been damaged beyond repair, one of which was flipped onto it's roof.

Among the debris was the bodies of seven Alliance Marines. Each one suffering from some kind of burns that had melted away at their armor, some of them missing limbs completely. "By the Goddess...what happened to them?" asked Liara as they pulled up to the site and got out. Garrus staying in the turret to cover them.

"I don't know, but a simple ambush couldn't do this." said Jane looking at the burn holes in the side of one of the Grizzlies. "What troubles me is that there were a dozen Marines in the team...what happened to the others?"

Jason was on high alert. Having SECOND scan everything above, and _below_ , the ground for anything out of place. "Shepard we need to leave. This _really_ doesn't feel right." he said looking over his shoulder at them.

Jane nodded and went over to the beacon that was still transmitting...that was when it all clicked for the Commander.

It was just the beacon. No ship, evac shuttle, nothing. Jason was right, they were lead here on purpose. But for what exactly.

After shutting down the beacon, she told the team to head back to the Mako so the _Normandy_ could get them out of there. They were about half-way back when SECOND spoke in Jason's ear. **"Warning: Seismic Activity Detected."**

The ground shuddered under their feet, "What is that?" asked Liara getting a bad feeling.

"Everyone to the Mako now!" Jason shouted as they began running back full sprint as the shaking got worse by the second.

The ground under the Mako suddenly exploded upward in a cloud of dust and rock. The team slid to a stop as the rover flipped over in the air and landed hard on it's side a couple meters away from them. "GARRUS!" Jane shouted into her comm before looking at what had caused it.

The sight before them made both women pale and Jason feel not so strong anymore.

Towering over them with the height that rivaled the tallest buildings on the Citadel was the armored, serpentine form of a Thresher Maw.

The large beast gave a deep hissing as it looked down at them, it reared it's head back and let out a bellowing roar that echoed out far and wide throughout the barren land of Edolus. "FALL BACK!" Jane screamed into her comms as the team ran back toward the downed Grizzlies for cover.

The Thresher Maw saw them running, opening it's mouth and letting loose a glob of it's acid that splashed against a rock they had just run past. Reducing the hardened stone to a puddle in seconds.

"Don't let the acid hit you!" Shepard called out as they got behind the destroyed Alliance transports. The Maw lifted it's large head up and disappeared back under the surface putting the team on high alert.

"Where did it go?" asked Liara with fear in her voice.

The ground shook under them as the creature moved under their feet. Jane got on her comm again, "Garrus? Garrus can you hear me? Respond."

A groan came over the line a moment later, "What the hell happened?" asked the Turian.

"There's a Thresher Maw out here, it flipped the Mako. Can you move?" asked the Commander as the ground shook more.

"Think I broke my arm when the rover flipped...wait, did you say _Thresher Maw_?" he asked horrified. The ground shook again, harder this time making the team stumble a little bit.

"Yes, and the thing is right underneath us. We need to regroup and think of a plan. Get out of the Mako, your not safe in there with this thing's acid." said Shepard. "Joker, are you reading me? We have a bit of a situation down here."

 _"I've noticed. I'm already on approach to pick you guys up. ETA 9 minutes."_ said the pilot.

"We could be dead in 9 minutes." said Jason peering over the Grizzly and seeing Garrus stumbled out of the overturned Mako and make his way over to them. The ground shuddered violently before the Maw burst from the surface with a roar just outside where the team was standing.

"MOVE GARRUS!" Jane shouted as she fired her assault rifle at the creature. The small rounds did almost nothing to the hardened exoskeleton of the Maw, but it caused enough of a distraction for Garrus to move into cover out of it's range.

The creature spat acid at the team, Jason tackled Jane aside as the highly corrosive substance burned through the armor of the Grizzly they were behind as though it were paper. "We need a plan before that thing takes us all out." said the nano soldier tagging the large large worm on his HUD.

The whole team started firing on the Maw, throwing grenades, biotic attacks, and just about everything else in their arsenal as they could at the beast. "We're not causing enough damage!" Garrus shouted throwing another grenade with his good arm.

Liara pulled the gas tanks off of one of the Grizzlies with her biotics and hurled them at the Maw. Jason raised his AR and shot the tanks as they got close enough causing them to explode. The Maw reared back and screeched in pain before burrowing back into ground.

He scanned the surroundings until he settled on the Mako. **"Tactical Options Available."** "I got an idea, cover me!" he shouted as he sprinted out of cover and toward the overturned rover. Ignoring the shouts coming from behind him as the ground shook under him.

The ground burst beneath him, sending the Post-Human hurling through the air and crashing to the dirt next to the Mako. "Ah, shit." he groaned rolling to his feet and reaching the rover.

 **"Maximum Power."** Jason slammed his shoulder hard into the roof of the Mako causing it to tip over and land back on it's tires. He then ripped the hatch off of the side of the vehicle and got inside as the team engaged the Maw.

"SECOND, give me a run down on the Mako's systems." he said getting into the driver's seat and bringing the rover online.

A display of the Mako appeared on his HUD appeared with almost 60% glowing red. **"Weapons System Offline. Kinetic Barriers Offline. Hull Integrity Compromised. Hydraulics Functioning at 70%."** said the AI running down the damages.

"Shit..." he muttered as his hands flew across the the controls. The rover was still mobile despite the damage, but he needed a way to bring the Maw down before they were done for. He paused as a program appeared on screen. He looked out the cracked window and saw the Maw burrow back into the ground. "No other options." he said going through the the procedures needed to do what he had planned.

X

Jane threw her assault rifle aside as a few drops of acid landed on it and began to eat through it. Thresher Maws were a hard enemy to kill even with the proper equipment, on foot it was damn near impossible.

Four people against one Maw was not very good odds.

The Maw burst from the ground again and the team prepared for another round when the sound of the Mako's engines powered up reached them.

The rover raced across the ground and slammed into the side of the creature making it screech and burrow back under. "Maverick what the hell are you doing!" Shepard shouted into her comm.

 _"Putting this fucker down."_ came the reply as the vigilante backed the rover up as far as it could. The Maw bursting from the ground where he had stopped a moment before and roaring at him _. "Weapon systems are offline, so I'll have to improvise."_

Jason cranked the wheel and swerved around several globs of acid fired at him from the creature's mouth. "That's it asshole, follow the car." he muttered swerving around another shot. Straightening out the wheel he gunned the engine and raced toward the Maw.

The beast roared and launched another blast of acid that struck the turret of the Mako and melted it on contact as it continued to power toward it. It then lashed forward, mouth open wide.

"That's it ugly, OPEN WIDE!" Jason roared smashing the button causing the Mako's thrusters to kick on and launching it into the air...headfirst into the Maw's mouth.

"SECOND, activate the Mako's self-destruct!" he shouted getting out of the driver's seat and heading for the hatch he had ripped open.

 **"Self-Destruct Sequence Iniciated. 30 Seconds."** said the AI.

The hatch suddenly had several tentacles from within the Maw's mouth entering through it making the opening a no go. The Mako creaked loudly as the creature's mouth crushed down on it. "Dammit!" the nano soldier shouted moving to the back to the rover to the emergency hatch only to find it smashed inward.

 **"15 Seconds."** chimed SECOND as Jason braced himself, **"Maximum Power."** He rammed the hatch hard making a large dent in it. He struck the hatch again and again with his enhanced strength as the countdown timer continued to drop.

The front end of the Mako crunched down, sparks flying as the control panel was destroyed. One final kick from the Post-Human sent the hatch flying off of the back of the rover allowing him to dive out as the counter hit zero.

The Mako exploded with the force of a ballistic missile. Obliterating the Thresher Maw's head in a cloud of smoke and fire. Jason was thrown from the blast, slamming into the ground and bouncing across the hard surface of the planet. Coming to rest several meters away from where the creature's now headless body collapsed on to the ground.

 **"Suit Integrity Critical: 31%."**

 **"Severe Bone and Tissue Damage Detected."**

Jason's vision blackened, pain lancing through his whole form as he laid on the ground unable to move. He vaguely heard the sound of people calling out to him and the _Normandy_ 's engines overhead as the darkness claimed him.

X

 **Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Medbay**

 **August 1, 2183 - 13:12 hours**

Jane kept her eyes focused on the medbay doors. After seeing Maverick take down the Thresher Maw with the Mako and saw him laying on the ground not moving she thought the worst.

When the couldn't get him to respond, Joker had gotten the _Normandy_ in the pick them up and rushed the vigilante to the medbay to be treated. That was hours ago. The whole ground team were present in the mess hall as they waited for word on their comrade.

"Taking down a Thresher Maw with a weaponless vehicle? Impressive." commented Wrex from his spot against the wall nearby.

"Impressive or not it was reckless and too impulsive." said Kaidan.

"He saved our lives, Alenko. That thing would have taken us all out long before the _Normandy_ arrived. It cost us the Mako, but it saved us." said Garrus.

Ashley looked at Shepard who hadn't taken her eyes from the medbay doors. "Skipper?" she asked making everyone look at her.

Jane remained silent, her thoughts still in chaos after the mission and worrying that her fellow Spectre was okay.

The doors slid open making everyone nearly jump up. Dr Chakwas stepped out with her face looking grim. "I can't get a read on his condition. His suit is causing interference with the equipment. And with no way of knowing how to remove it to get a good reading...there's nothing I can do, Commander." she said solumnly.

The feeling in the air turned cold. "You mean we can't tell if he's alive or dead?" asked Tali shocked.

"No, he's alive. I was able to get a heart beat. It's faint, but he's alive. I just cannot gauge his condition as long as he's inside the suit." said Chakwas.

"And the only one that would know how to remove it..." started Ashley.

"Is unconscious." finished Garrus.

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose and chewed on her lip. There just had to be a way to get through to Maverick and help him...that's when it came to her. "Liara, is it possible for you to meld with him and try to figure out how to help him?" she asked the Asari.

Liara perked up, "Yes. It is very common for we Asari to meld with people who have lost consciousness to help them medically. I am still a Maiden, but I might be able to find out how to help him or at the very least pull him back to consciousness again.

The Commander looked into the medbay and saw Maverick laid out on one of the cots on the far end. A heartrate monitor attached to the chest of his suit keeping tabs on his weak heartbeat.

She knew that it was dangerous. Having Liara going through his head was a serious invasion of his privacy. But he was injured, and they needed to know how to repair the damage.

"Then let's get started. Whenever you're ready Liara."

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: It would seem Jason's time staying hidden numbered. And given how much closer he and Shepard have gotten it can go a multitude of ways._**

 ** _Update coming soon guys!_**


	28. Chapter 27

_**A/N: Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up. Given how fast I'm updating, I'm running the risk of burning myself out. Since I want to ensure this story lives up to its reputation, I'm shortening my update times by another day or so, so that I'll have all the time I need to make sure they're ready to be posted while at the same time maintaining my mojo.**_

 ** _I know a few of you don't wanna hear that, especially with how fast I'm cranking this out. But for the sake of this story and its legacy it needs to be taken a little slower. And for your patience, you'll all be rewarded with the best I can produce._**

 ** _Thanks for listening folks, now on with the update!_**

 ** _X_**

 **"Suit Integrity: 52%"**

 **"Bone and Tissue Damage: 19% Repaired."**

 **"Nanite Replication Increased by 20%."**

 **"Life Support Systems Operating at Maximum."**

 **"Heart Rate Stable."**

 **"Estimated Time of Recovery: Three Hours."**

X

 **Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Medbay**

 **August 1, 2183 - 13:30 hours**

The team stood around the medbay as Liara prepared herself.

The young Asari Maiden had never melded with someone unconscious before, and was a little unnerved by the idea of what she might encounter during the joining.

Despite his easy understanding and intellectual nature. Maverick was still very much an unknown. The team trusted him fully on the battlefield, but there was so much they didn't know about him.

Hell, they had never even seen his _face_.

Jane stood at the foot of the cot where the vigilante Spectre laid motionless. The heartrate monitor that was attached to his chest let out a steady beat meaning he was very much alive. But after what happened against the Thresher Maw they encountered on Edolus they needed to make sure they he was okay.

Unfortunately, his unique suit somehow caused interference with the medical equipment on the ship when Chakwas tried to scan him.

"This doesn't make sense." said Garrus. "The EMTs that looked over him after the fight against the Eclipse could get an accurate reading. Why can't the machines here in the medbay?" he wondered.

"He was injured during the fight against the mercs two years ago?" asked Ashley surprised. "With the way he fights, it's hard to imagine him hurt in any way..." she looked down at the still form. "...well...not so much now anyway."

The Turian shook his head, "The crazy bastard was on an enemy shuttle taking out the leader when it was shot down. The thing hit the ground like dead weight from almost 20,000 feet in the air at full speed...with him still inside."

Everyone looked at the detective before looking back at Maverick. "Keelah...what is he? Nobody could have survived a crash like that." said Tali wrapping her arms around herself.

"After what we've seen, I'm not surprised." said Wrex from the corner. "The way he fights is like watching another Krogan only in Human form in terms of brute strength. Smarter than any Salarian in a firefight. And moves faster than a Turian in close quarters." finished the old Krogan.

"Christ, is he some kind of experiment? A weapon maybe?" wondered Kaidan.

"It doesn't matter who or what he is." said Shepard making all conversation stop. Her eyes never leaving the form of her fellow Spectre. "He's helped us and stood by us all this time. And right now we need to make sure that he's alright." she looked at Liara. "Do what you can, but don't hurt yourself if it becomes too much."

Liara nodded as she stood at the head of the cot, resting her pale-blue hands on their side of Maverick's helmeted head and closed her eyes. A small wisp of biotics covered her form a moment before her now black eyes reopened. "Embrace Eternity."

X

 **"Suit Integrity: 61%"**

 **"Bone and Tissue Damage: 27% Repaired."**

 **"Nanite Replication Increased by 30%..."**

 **"..."**

 **"...Neurological Intrusion Detected."**

 **"Suit Reconfiguration in Progress..."**

 **"Reconfiguration Complete."**

 **"System Rebooting."**

 **"Counter Measure Initiated."**

X

Liara focused her ability to try and delve into the suited man's mind. When she started to get somewhere she felt something suddenly change.

Almost as if his mind realized what she was doing and erected a wall to keep her out.

"Something is wrong...his mind is fighting to keep me out. Even while unconscious." she said putting everyone on edge.

"That's not possible." said Garrus. "Nothing can deflect an Asari mind meld...right?" asked the Turian not feeling very sure of himself at the moment.

"In the last couple centuries I've been around I've never heard anything like this." said Wrex.

The young Asari focused harder. The wisps of dark energy around her gaining a little strength as she attempted to push through the wall as gently as she could. The mental barrier was stronger than she though. Almost like trying to squeeze through a small gap that was too small for her to go through.

She kept at it, putting more strength in to it without harming herself mentally or the one she was joining with. After what felt like hours she felt her mind finally connect with that of the nano soldier.

X

 **"Counter Measure...Failed."**

 **"Neurological Intrusion Successful."**

 **"Formulating Counter-Offensive."**

X

 _Everything was dark. It wasn't a surprise considering that the mind of the one she was currently in was not awake. But that didn't hinder her or her mission to help the Spectre as best she could._

 _Liara moved herself through what felt like a darkened corridor looking for something, anything that could help her search for Maverick's conscious mind and pull him out._

 _Every person's mindscape was different depending on their personality. It could reflect something from their childhood, their career, anything that brought the person peace mentally and at times spiritually._

 _But the mindscape could also be affected by outside sources. Stress, trauma, and even their state of consciousness could affect it greatly and alter it in a number of ways. Which was why the young Asari was having so much trouble navigating._

 _"Maverick?" she called through their link. "Maverick can you hear me? Give me a sign." she said into the darkness as she continued to move about._

 _Then she saw it, what looked to be a small blue light in the distance._

 _Heading in that direction, Liara prepared herself for what she might encounter. Drawing slowly closer with each small 'step' she made. The light grew bigger and bigger until she was standing right before it._

 _The light was coming from a glowing blue orb suspended above the ground. Inside was a young man in his mid 20s with buzzcut hair and scars covering his form._

 _Liara approached the orb, her blue eyes looking over the man inside. A huge part of her knowing that she was looking at the 'real Maverick'. The scars littering his form she couldn't tell if they were physical, mental or emotional; but the sheer number of them that she could see on what skin was exposed left the Asari's heart aching for him._

 _"Maverick?" she called out softly to the suspended body before her, only to get no response. She reached out and touched the orb-_

X

 _She was immediately pulled through what she believed to be a tunnel before she found herself standing on a beach in a war torn city. Fires raged in various places while tall buildings stood in multiple levels of disarray. The sounds of gunfire and explosions echoed in the distance signifying a great battle was taking place._

 _It wasn't hard to figure that she had accidentally stumbled upon a memory when she touched the strange orb._

 _The young Asari perked up when she heard the loud hum of engines powering up. In the sky, a ship bigger than a kodiac hovered with the aid of two large rings on either side, glowing a bright red as it seemed to be scanning for something along the ground._

 _Following its flight path. Liara gasped seeing multiple Humans in military uniforms laying dead all around. One of them moved and attempted to crawl forward as the ocean behind him tried to drag him back in._

 _The ship turned toward the wounded Human before the guns under its front end roared to life. Tearing the poor man to shreds in a hail of gunfire._

 _Liara covered her mouth in horror at what she was witnessing. It was a slaughter. These Humans died fighting against something that had overpowered them devastatingly._

 _It was then she heard heavy footfalls. Turning her head, she saw on the ridge leading to the beach stood a familiar suit of black and silver armor. "Maverick." she said watching him pick up a large gun turret from the ground before firing on the ship above._

 _The vessel attempted to fire back, but was taken down before it could deal the Human any real damage. One of its engines blew and it fell to the Earth, crashing into the dark waters of the ocean._

 _Tossing the heavy gun aside. The large Human walked down the beach past Liara toward the group of dead people. He looked around a moment before stopping over someone._

 _Getting a closer look, Liara gasped seeing the same exact man she'd seen in the blue orb moments before. He laid on the ground with blood dripping out of several wounds with a patch that read 'Maverick' on his camo jacket._

 _The Asari blinked. Looking from the wounded soldier to the black and silver suit in confusion._

 _If 'Maverick' wasn't in the suit right now...then who was?_

 _A moment passed before the man in the suit grabbed Maverick's arms and began to drag him across the ground toward a cluster of buildings nearby. Liara followed after them, now wondering what was going on._

 _Inside the building the suited man looked Maverick over closely before standing. He reached up and pulled the helmet off revealing a dark skinned man with a bald head. His skin marred with deep cuts, burns and odd lesions that looked like some kind of infection._

 _"Well kid, looks like it's all going to be up to you." said the man in a deep voice as he began removing the suit and putting it on the wounded soldier, all the while recording something on the suit for when Maverick woke up._

 _Liara listened to the memory with rapt attention, the place they were in, the enemy they were fighting, the responsibility now passed on to the new wielder of the suit._

 _She watched horrified as the man put a gun to his head, but the memory began to distort and she found herself flung back down the same 'tunnel' as before. A moment later she found herself back in the room with the orb and Maverick's subconscious inside._

 _"You shouldn't be here."_

 _The Asari whirled around and saw the same man she had seen in the memory standing behind her. Only his eyes were pure white with no pupil._

 _"I...I am sorry for intruding. But I was sent to help Maverick recover. The suit is making it hard for the doctor to heal him." she explained._

 _The man walked past her and stood before the orb that held the Spectre. "He will recover. No one should have to worry about him."_

 _Liara's eyes widened, "Not worry about him? He is our friend, our comrade. We'd do whatever it took to help him in whatever way we can." she pressed trying to make the man understand._

 _He turned and gazed at her, "He is unique. Given a special purpose that many would not understand. Something that only he can bare." His eyes glowed and the Asari found herself hovering above the ground. "Now leave this place."_

 _"Who...Who are you?" she asked afraid._

 _The man gave a ghost of a smile._ _ **"They called me Prophet, remember me."**_ _with that she was literally thrown out of the mindscape._

X

 **"...Counter-Offensive Successful."**

 **"Suit Integrity: 67%"**

 **"Bone and Tissue Damage: 41% repaired"**

X

Liara was thrown back from the cot and landed in a heap on the ground, shaking with sweat pouring off of her forehead.

"Liara!" Jane shouted helping her up slowly. "What the hell happened? Are you alright?" she asked helping the Asari sit down in a chair.

"B-By the Goddess...it...I can't even describe it." she said holding her head in her hands. "The things I saw...there is so much more to this man than what others may think. Much, _much_ more." she said wiping the sweat from her brow.

"What did you see?" asked Kaidan as they others paid close attention.

She spent the next hour going over everything she experienced. Including what she saw when she stumbled into one of Maverick's memories. Everyone was dumbstruck by the end of it all.

"Wait...your telling me this guy's from another world?" said Ashley not believing it.

"Yes, I know it's hard to believe but it is the truth." said Liara. "And the fact that his suit was given to him by someone else for a purpose makes me wonder what he was forced to endure in his world." she remembered the scarring on the man within his own mind, whatever trials he had faced before definitely had an impact on him and left large reminders.

Jane sighed, this wasn't how she wanted that to go. If he found out what had happened there was no telling how pissed off he would be. And with what he was capable of, the Commander was sure that no one would be able to stop him.

"What about the guy you saw before you were thrown out? The one that called himself 'Prophet'?" asked Garrus.

Liara shook her head, "I'm not sure, but it looked like the same man that had worn the suit originally.

"I'm concerned with what he said about symbiosis." said Tali. "What do you think he meant about that? From the sounds of it, it's not a very pleasant."

"Look, this is all a moot point." said Shepard. "We're still back where we started with being unable to help him. And questions we wanna ask will have to wait until after he wakes up."

"And what makes you think I'll answer any of them?"

Everyone jumped as Maverick sat up slowly. Ripping the pads for the heartrate monitor off of his chest. "You're awake. How are you feeling?" asked Jane a little surprised.

The nano soldier shot her a dirty look through his visor and the Commander felt her blood run cold. "Why don't you ask Liara? She seems to have fun routing through people's thoughts." he said shooting his look at the Asari who looked down in shame.

"Just who the hell are you?" asked Kaidan pointedly.

Maverick got up and headed for the door. "Someone who's very pissed off at the fact someone else was running through his head without their permission." he said Ignoring the ache that still went through his frame. Parts that were still in the process of healing.

"Hey!" the Lieutenant shouted grabbing his arm. The biotic found himself against the wall a split second later with an arm across his throat.

"You had no right to go through my head." he hissed darkly. "Any of you!" he shouted over his shoulder at the others. " _I_ can barely handle half the shit I've been through. Liara only saw the beginning...things got a whole lot fucking worse."

He released Kaidan before bringing up his omni-tool. The medbay doors closed and locked. "What are you-" Garrus tried to say.

"Shut it." the vigilante said cutting him off as he fired a program to find any and all listening devices in the room. When it came back with nothing he let out a breath. "Look, I know you want answers. I'm not too fucking happy about it considering the circumstances. Regardless, I'll tell you everything, but not before we deal with another problem we have right now."

"What problem exactly?" asked Jane.

Jason clicked a few buttons on his omni-tool. "I secured the room so no one could overhear us, and what I'm about to tell you. What do any of you know about an organization called Cerberus?"

"Cerberus? The name does sound familiar." said Ashley.

"It's a Human-Survivalist paramilitary group created back in 2156 after the First Contact war. They specialized mostly in sabotage, assassination, media manipulation and espionage. Essentially a Black Ops organization branch of the Alliance that only a select few could join." said Maverick.

"Sounds like a powerful group. What's so wrong about it though?" asked Garrus.

"They went rogue. Cerberus' core belief is that Humanity deserves a greater role in the galactic community and that the Alliance is too stonewalled by law and public opinion to stand up to the other Citadel races. They support the principle that any and all methods of advancing Humanity's ascension are entirely justified. Including terrorism, torture, and illegal/dangerous experimentation on both Humans and Aliens." replied the vigilante.

Everyone in the room looked at each other worried. "Why haven't we heard about this organization before?" asked Shepard crossing her arms under her chest.

The nano soldier looked up from his omni-tool. "Not a whole lot of it is common knowledge. And Cerberus does everything they can to remain hidden from the public. But they are dangerous, and very influential to some."

"And you think someone from Cerberus is here on the _Normandy_?" asked Tali. "How do you know?"

"I had my doubts at first, but after collecting evidence and a few outgoing messages I narrowed down the suspects to three...then one of my hacking programs picked this up." said Maverick sending a message to all their omni-tools.

 _'Edolus Experiment Compromised._ Normandy _Ground Team Survived. Thresher Maw Dead. Maverick sustained injuries and is being held in medbay for treatment. Will report back with any new information.'_

"Edolus was a Cerberus Experiment?!" Ashley shouted, enraged after reading the message.

"That means they set up the distress beacon to draw people in." said Jane in shock. "We have to contact Rear Admiral Kahoku and warn him about what happened to his people and about Cerberus."

"Already done." said Maverick shutting down his omni-tool. "Kahoku's already been warned about what happened and that Cerberus may be targeting him as a result. I intercepted the message and made sure it didn't get back to the Cerberus intel network so he should be safe."

"Then what do we do about the mole? Do you know who it is?" asked Liara.

Jason gave a slow nod, "I do...And if you want answers to who I really am, then they need to be captured so they can't report anything back to their bosses."

The team all looked to Shepard who sighed, "Alright, Maverick. Tell us everything you know so far."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- CIC**

 **August 1, 2183 - 15:43 hours**

How the hell did things go south so quickly?

Jason couldn't help but ask himself that same question every hour on the hour since he woke up in the medbay. Thanks to the organic components of the nano suit that linked with his brain cavity when he wore it he was fully aware of Liara's mind meld when she dipped into his head.

Granted he didn't expect SECOND to come up with such an effective counter-measure so quickly. But then again the suit was as advanced and adaptable as it was for a reason, he just didn't think it was capable of holding of intrusion via nervous system to the brain.

You really did learn something new every day.

But now he had nowhere left to hide. Liara still managed to get enough information from the meld to get everyone one curious. And he had no choice but to come clean with everything with the others or he could end up losing their trust in him completely.

And right now they were implementing a plan to capture the Cerberus mole before he exposed any vital information they might come across...his identity being one.

The mole's name was Trent Coless, a Serviceman that worked in the CIC among a dozen other crewmen. To others he was an funny, easy going kind of guy who liked classic rock. But he was a damn good actor as well.

Jason had SECOND hack his personnel file and discovered the whole thing had been fabricated. Very thorough, and it must have cost a good amount of credits to ensure it was believable enough to get him on to the _Normandy_ without suspicion.

After talking with the others for half an hour, they set out to capture Coless and take him down fast.

It would be simple, and effective.

Jason walked through the CIC and approached Shepard as she stood at the galaxy map. "Shepard, I need a word with you. It's vital to the mission." he said calmly. The Commander nodded as they walked off.

From one of the terminals, Coless looked their way briefly before informing his co-worker that he was taking a break in the mess hall before quietly following after them at a safe distance. Completely unaware that Alenko had been watching from across the room and was now following him.

The two Spectres went down to the empty mess hall and started talking. "How are you feeling? You took a pretty big hit back on Edolus." said Jane. They may had been acting, but the concern in her voice was very real.

Jason squared his shoulders, "Made a full recovery. Guess I got lucky back there. Anyway, the reason I brought you here is about some intel I picked up back at Therum. Evidently one of the Geth I hacked had the coordinates to a central data hub out in the Hourglass Nebula. The amount of data stored there would be vital to the Alliance's intel division in understanding the Geth. Their strengths, weaknesses, and their weapons systems."

"A gold mine of data that could benefit our mission, and gather invaluable data on the Geth. I think we should set a course ASAP before something happens to the intel." said Jane.

"Not before we hit up Feros. Help them out first, then get the data. It's a good thing no one else is aware of it, who knows what that data could do in the wrong hands." said Jason already having tagged Coless on his HUD and seeing the marker through the wall on the other end of the room.

The Cerberus agent finished recording the conversation and went to sneak back to the CIC when he felt his whole body prickle. Dark energy covered him as he was trapped within a biotic stasis.

"Going somewhere, _Serviceman_?" growled Kaidan with his biotics flaring up his outstretched arm.

While in stasis, Coless couldn't speak or move as he was moved out from behind the wall and toward the two Spectres who watched with their arms crossed. "Good work, Kaidan." said Jane glaring at the traitor.

"Guess we weren't needed after all." said Garrus standing from behind the kitchen counter with his side arm out. Ashley came out from behind one of the sleeper pods with a shotgun and Tali from another across from her with her omni-tool ready to attack.

Wrex stomped out from the back of the room flipping a large knife in his hand. "Can we torture this pyjak for information? I could use a little entertainment."

Jason stepped forward and grabbed the man's arm activating his omni-tool before turning on his own and running a hacking program. SECOND ripping any and all useful information from the device before shorting it out completely.

"Got what we need." he said when it was finished.

Ashley stepped forward and slammed the butt of her rifle against the man's head, knocking him out cold. "Bastard." she hissed spitting on the agent's downed form.

"Take him to the brig, we'll drop him off at Arcturus Station when we pick up a new Mako." said Shepard as two Marines entered the mess hall and carried the traitor off.

Jason sorted the data collected before shutting down his omni-tool, "I'll go through the data and see if I can find anything useful to go on. I'll let you all know what I find." he said heading for the stairs back to the CIC.

"Maverick." said Jane making him pause. "Don't forget our deal. I know you're a man of your word." She hated putting him on the spot like this, after what happened in the medbay they had no right doing this to him. But the team was on edge, they wanted answers. And a selfish part of her wanted to know the full story as well.

The vigilante was motionless a few moments before he took a deep breath. "Briefing room. 15 minutes." without another word he left. Leaving everyone wondering if they'd like the outcome.

X

Exactly 15 minutes later the whole team sat in their usual spots in the briefing room. Jason stood with his back to them starring out the view port at the stars that passed by the ship. The door was locked and sealed tight so that no one could hear their discussion.

"Liara was right." he said after a while. "I'm not from this world. Where I come from Humanity barely made it past the moon. The date was 2023."

"How is that possible...it can't be." said Kaidan as the room fell into shock.

Jason shrugged, "I'm not sure myself. After everything that happened to me back then, nothing surprises me anymore." he looked down at his hands and clenched them a few times. "And now that I'm here, I thought I could keep doing my duty as a soldier. But you can't keep a past like mine buried forever it seems."

He turned and faced the room, "I kept my identity a secret mostly to protect those close to me. There are a small number of people who know who I am and I couldn't let anything happen to them. I've made a lot of enemies in the last few years."

Jane's green eyes locked on his crimson visor. "Who are you?"

The vigilante took a deep breath. His hands reached up to the sides of his helmet, the sound of air depressurizing was heard as it came off.

The team's eyes widened seeing Maverick's true face. But Garrus and Jane's mouths fell open in utter shock recognizing him immediately.

"Spirits...it's...it can't be..." said Garrus unable to form words.

Cobalt-blue eyes looked to each of them seriously. "My name, is Jason Harlow...And I'm going to tell you everything."

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: The big reveal is at hand. The real question is how will the crew handle Jason's past adventures along with what he is truly capable of?**_

 _ **Give me 48 hours and you'll have your answers. See you then folks!**_


	29. Chapter 28

_**A/N: I'm very aware of the mixed reviews I've gotten in regards to the last chapter, and I understand a lot of the questions involving how things had ended and the bit of out of character reasoning involved. For the moment I'll address various points here and now.**_

 _ **First, even though it was Liara's fault, she didn't intend on falling into Jason's memories. Only to try and help wake him up so they could get a better grip on his condition. And after seeing what little she had, she was in shock that when she came back out she couldn't help but blurt it out. Don't forget, in the first Mass Effect she was a young, naive researcher when she was first picked up by Shepard.**_

 _ **Second, even though many folks don't agree with how things turned out and could have gone another way, I hold fast to DFX's original take on the matter. There was no telling how long before Jason finally came out to the team about him and his past and if he would be able to get them to understand. At least this way, one of their own saw it first hand which made it easier for the others to want to know and understand as well.**_

 _ **And finally, there have been countless other stories where the OC's origins were revealed that made far less sense. Believe me, I've read such stories. That being said, I don't blame some of my readers for being skeptic of how things panned out in the last chapter. I only ask that they keep an open mind for the sake of the story itself.**_

 _ **I can handle flames and criticism, in fact I respect the honesty. Any author should take in and understand from all sides of a reader's view.**_

 _ **Having said my piece, I've got a new update as promised. And hopefully it will help put out any metaphorical fires that last one may have started.**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **August 1, 2183 - 15:20 hours**

Jason stood at the head of the briefing room, helmet held in his right hand at his side as his eyes looked over the rest of the team and their reactions.

Tali, Liara and Wrex looked at him oddly. Either not expecting him to actually be Human or if they were trying to pick out what they could from his expression.

Ashley and Kaidan were in slight awe, finally seeing the face of the man everyone on the Citadel and the Alliance had been talking about was a bit shocking.

Garrus and Jane however, had the biggest reactions. The Commander's jade eyes locked on his cobalt-blue ones, it was obvious she was taking the opportunity to really see the man she was partners with. And his sharp vision didn't fail to see the very small blush across her cheeks.

"Jason..." the Post-Human looked at Garrus and had to fight back from wincing.

The amount of confusion and betrayal in his Turian friend's eyes was palpable. He was expecting such a reaction from him. After all, he had lied to Garrus for almost three years. A close friend that he considered like a brother.

This wasn't how he was expecting to reveal himself to those he trusted.

"Yeah, Garrus. It's me." Jason replied setting the helmet down on a nearby terminal.

"All this time...all this time it's been you?" asked Garrus with a growl in his voice. "From the very beginning...it's been YOU!" he roared getting to his feet.

The Post-Human gave a nod. "Yes." he turned and looked at his friend. "And after everything that has happened, can you blame me for all the secrecy?" he asked bluntly. "After everything I've gone through to make sure people could live another day?"

Garrus leered at Jason, breath coming out in hisses. "Does Chellick know? Does Reena?"

The nano soldier nodded. "Reena was the first to put the pieces together. I had to tell Chellick so that he would except the data I had on the Eclipse before the attack. I didn't tell anyone else because I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to them." he said.

The two stared at one another for a minute or two before Garrus sat back down. The anger in his eyes never fading as he watched Jason. The team remained silent knowing that this was something between the two of them.

Turning back to the whole group, the nano soldier spoke again. "You'll understand that a lot of the things I'm going to tell you will sound crazy. But I have evidence to prove it's the truth. You'll also understand that I _won't_ be telling you every detail. We are entitled to our secrets, so I hope you will respect that."

"We understand." said Jane seriously. This really wasn't what she had been expecting and part of her felt guilt and regret about putting him on the spot like this.

Running a hand over his face, Jason began to pace slowly. "My real name is Jason Harlow. I _was_ part of the United States Marine Corps, Sergeant. 'Maverick' was my codename because I had a habit of making things up as I went along whether I was ordered to or not. A lot of my superiors considered me a saint when I put the lives of soldiers and civilians ahead of the mission whill coming up with unique and unexpected ways to complete my objectives without jeopardizing either."

"The date back then was 2023. I was on a mission in the Middle East when almost every troop was called back to the States. Something was happening in New York City. A virus that spread through the place like wildfire, infecting and killing anything in it's path. Then we were informed of a hostile force that had been moving into the area...Alien."

All of the non-Humans in the room tensed. Jason regarded them, "Not any of the Council races, something else, something very dangerous. They were called the Ceph, short for Cephalopod. They'd attacked my version of Earth a couple years prior, though many believed that they were on our planet far longer than we thought. They were advanced, lethal, and merciless."

He brought up his omni-tool and a holo-screen appeared in the front of the room as he went back to his story, "My squad was assigned to enter the city and extract a former Crynet employee by the name of Nathan Gould. Crynet Systems was a powerful organization responsible for the creation of advanced equipment used in combat. Weapons, communications, anything a military would possibly need to win wars. They were so successful that they had their own military organization called CELL, short for Crynet Enforcement & Local Logistics."

"CELL had almost all of NYC quarantined and had taken the reigns for anything that happened within the city limits. So we had to enter via submarine. That's when we came under attack by the Ceph. Our sub was destroyed and most of my squad was wiped out. Liara's seen this first hand." he said looking at the Asari who nodded, cringing when she remembered the memory she had seen.

Jason tapped a few buttons on his omni-tool and the screen flared to life **. "Accessing Memory Profiles."** said SECOND from the screen, causing the team to tense.

"Who was that?" asked Tali curious.

"SECOND, short for Semi-autonomous Enhanced Combat Ops: Neuro-integration Delivery. Its a VI that runs inside my suit that helps me in any combat situation. It is able to hack, store data, and transfer all information to the user's brain snap-quick." He looked over his shoulder at them, "It's saved my life more times than I care to count." with that a familiar video started playing on the screen;

 _Images through someone's HUD showed someone scooping up a large stationary gun and shoot down a strange gunship that was hovering in the air overhead as it tried to take down the one holding the large weapon._

 _Tossing the weapon aside when the ship was destroyed, the person walked along what looked like a beach before stopping next to the body of somebody in uniform. They knelt down and checked over the soldier on the ground._

The team was on the edge of their seats when they saw it was Jason. Bloody and dying on the ground from multiple wounds. "Is that...?" asked Jane.

Jason nodded grimly. "I was dying. The original operator of the suit I'm currently wearing, Prophet, was the one that found me."

 _After Prophet was finished looking him over he took Jason by the arms and started dragging him across the ground and into a warehouse. "Vitals...dropping. Have to work...fast." said Prophet as he looked the wounded soldier over again._

 _"Your codename's Maverick huh? Destiny's a real bitch. It'll be on you now, son."_ _said the nano soldier as he started to remove the nano suit from himself. "You're my last shot here. Gould's last chance. Last chance for all of us."_

 _"I'm used up, I'm a dead man walking. I'm...contaminated. But you...you can finish this thing...you have to!" Prophet removed his helmet revealing a bald head with a severely scarred and burned face. "Welcome to the future son. Welcome to the war."_

 _Several moments passed before Jason was revealed in the nano suit laying on the floor. Prophet faced the window wearing an undersuit as he continued to speak. "Oh yeah...one last wish...It won't let me go that easily. Symbiosis. Gotta break the link..." he picked up a nearby pistol. "I gave you the suit. Gave you my life. Promise me...Find Gould...It's all I can do now. You are all I can do."_

 _Prophet pressed the gun to his head, "They used to call me Prophet...Remember me." The gun went off and everything went black._

Silence. "Just what the hell did we see?" asked Ashley while looking at Jason.

The Post-Human sighed, "It's the curse of the nano suit." he said looking at his hands. "The suit was created with organic and synthetic components. It's purpose was to enhance the user's abilities to superhuman levels. But there's a trade off. Since the suit is made up of organic materials it begins merging with the wearer on a biological and neurological level. A side effect, like Prophet mentioned, is called Symbiosis."

"What happens to the user?" asked Liara.

"They become one with the suit. They lose the ability to eat, to sleep, everything that made them Human is taken from them and become part machine. Basically they become a living, breathing, weapon capable of untold destruction." explained Jason.

Ashley swallowed hard, "So, are you...trapped inside that thing?" she asked motioned to the nano suit.

"No. Oddly enough I'm immune to it, something no one was able to figure out." said the Post-Human. "Prophet was infected with the virus running through NYC, I was the only chance to stop the Ceph from taking out the whole city and spreading to the rest of the world."

"What happened after Prophet gave you the suit?" asked Shepard.

Jason brought up the screen again, "You may want to get comfortable." he said as highlight clips from his fight through New York began playing. Starting from when he first woke up with the nano suit, fighting CELL forces at every turn as they tried to stop him.

The team couldn't take their eyes from the holo-screen as they watched the Post-Human pave a path of destruction through the city streets to find Nathan Gould. But it was when he first encountered the Ceph is when they really focused.

"By the Goddess..." said Liara as they watched Jason taking down the Ceph as they fought against him and CELL forces at every turn. The creatures looking like humanoid squids in metal exosuits with weaponry that looked light-years ahead of the Earthlings they were attacking.

For the next two hours they watched as the Spectre faced everything thrown at him. The meeting with Gould put them on edge, especially when he put a gun in his face before he saw the footage of Prophet passing the torch.

They saw what happened when Jason and Gould stormed the CELL facility to get a look at the suit's underlayer to find out what had changed about it. And what the Ceph spires had been doing to any Human within range of the nanites they unleashed, and how his suit had the ability to shut them down.

From there they saw the interactions with Jacob Hargreave, the creator of the suits and one of the heads of Crynet. Fighting along side what remained of the Marine units within the city. Ashley actually lept out of her seat cheering when they watched Jason take down a Ceph Pincer mech with a squad that was trapped in a diner.

Jane couldn't even fully fathom what she was witnessing. It made what she went through during the Blitz look like a class field trip in comparison. She had quickly developed a new respect for the nano soldier. But it paled when they saw what happened next.

Jason and the Marines had been evacuating the remaining civilians from Penn Station while trying to keep the Ceph from attacking them. The Post-Human had taken down _two_ Pincers to ensure that people where out of harms way. But the subway station was quickly being overrun, and the building next to it was beginning to crumble from a weakened foundation.

 _The convoy pulled out of the station with as many civilians as they could carry. Jason sat in the gunner seat of the last hummer when a man ran out in front of it. "STOP! Please, my wife's trapped she needs help!" he shouted over the distant gunfire and explosions._

 _"We have to go, there's no time!" shouted the driver as the building above the station shook._

 _Jason zoomed in on the woman as two other men tried to pry the slab of concrete off of her leg but couldn't seem to gather the strength. He lept from the vehicle, ignoring the shouts from the soldiers behind him as he ran over to the pinned woman. "Hang on ma'am." he said grabbing the slab._

 _ **"Maximum Power."**_ _The chunk of concrete was lifted off of the woman allowing the people helping her to pull her out. "Com'mon we're out of time!" he shouted as they ran back to the hummer and piling inside._

 _Jason lept onto the gunner seat as they peeled out. Looking back, the nano soldier watched the building crumble on top of Penn Station sending an avalanche of rubble and debris following after them._

"Damn that was a close one." said Kaidan shaking his head.

"You risked being crushed to death to save the lives of a few civilians?" asked Garrus impressed.

"I couldn't leave them behind. No one deserved to die like that." said Jason as the footage continued with the second evac site being cleared out before another spire burst from the ground and Hargreave telling Jason what he had to do.

"Wait...what did he mean?" asked Tali looking at Jason. He pointed to the screen as Jason stepped into the spire like before. The nanites ripping into the nano suit before expelling him back outside. A Ceph trooper stood over him as the suit tried to reboot, weapon aimed at his head when the spire shook and expelled a cloud of white metallic mist that spread through the area.

Every Ceph that came in contact with the cloud disintegrated leaving the empty armor to collapse on to the ground. "That's what changed with the suit." said Jason. "It became a means to put an end to the Ceph using their own technology."

"And since the Ceph accidentally injected you with nanites..." started Liara.

"My physiology changed." said the nano soldier. "Because of that I can heal from any injury much faster than usual, I can process data much quicker. I'm still Human, I'm just something... _more_ , now."

Back on screen, it showed Jason being air dropped in the Hudson River close to the Prism. The location of CELL's headquarters in New York. Stealthfully taking out all of the soldiers as he made his way to the central building in the middle of the island.

Throughout the constant firefights, Wrex, Garrus and Kaidan seemed to be passing bets to see how high the body count would be before Jason reached Hargreave.

When the Post-Human ran into CELL Commander Dominic Lockhart, nearly everyone in the room wanted to watch the man die in the worst possible ways.

 _"That the best you got tin man? You think your even Human anymore? Your just a fucking freak!" spat the Commander in Jason's face while struggling with his neck in the nano soldier's grasp._

 _Jason tilted his head, "Maybe your right...but that doesn't change my mission." he said before hurling the man through the reinforced glass, his body hitting the ground hard and sending blood splattering across the pavement._

 _With the Commander dead, the remaining CELL forces were easily picked off as he entered the central structure._

 _Pulling the door open, Jason heard a loud whining noise before electrical volts shot out of the walls and striking him from every angle making him cry out in agony._

 **"EMP Assault. Systems Impaired."** _warned SECOND as Jason fell to his knees. The nano suit shutting down from the surprise electrical assault._

 _"H-Hargreave! You son of a bitch!" he shouted into the comm as the suit continued to fail._

'I'm sorry Maverick. It is nothing personal.' _said Hargreave as Jason collapsed to the floor. The other door in the room opened and a squad of CELL soldiers stormed the room guns drawn._ 'Thank you, Ms. Strickland. Exemplary.' _praised Hargreave as the men gathered the weakened nano soldier up and dragged him out of the room._ "Check his vitals and have him moved to the skinning lab.'

Everyone in the room looked at Jason who had paled a little at the memory. "Jason? What did he mean by 'Skinning lab'?" asked Jane wondering if she would even like the answer.

"Suit removal." said Jason grimly.

"But, didn't you say the suit bonded with past users? How did the suit...get...removed..." Tali trailed off as it started to click. "Oh Keelah..." she said in horror.

"They tried to pry the nano suit from my body using surgical lasers and scalpels...I was awake during the process before I was rescued by Tara Stickland who turned out to be a double agent." said Jason making them cringe.

"Why?" asked Jane aghast. "You were trying to save everyone, why the hell would they do that to you?"

Jason shrugged, "Hargreave had a god-complex. He believed that he was the only one capable of stopping the Ceph, and he needed the suit to do it. He was focused on being the 'hero' so much that he let it get to him."

He tapped a few keys on his omni-tool to skip the apart where he had been tortured and to the point of making his escape with the help of Tara. His talk with Hargreave and the revelation that he himself was trapped in his own Symiosis. The team gasped when Jason willingly injected himself with the serum to help take down the Ceph once and for all after everything that happened.

Everything else flowed quickly after that. The escape from Prism during a heavy Ceph attack. The mad dash to Central Park where the source of the Ceph's power was coming from. And the threat of a nuclear strike the government was going to use to put the aliens down if they failed.

 _He charged forward, the Ceph Juggernaut firing it's Reaper gun arm at him as he moved quickly._ _ **"Maximum Armor."**_ _the rounds bounced off of his suit as he got right into the alien's face._ _ **"Maximum Power."**_ _a powerful double kick to the chest sent the large Ceph tumbling over the edge of the skyscraper and plummeting to the street below._

 _Jason kept moving, running along a collapsed billboard and leaping across the large gap between buildings. Landing with a roll on the next rooftop that overlooked Central Park. "Gould, it's Maverick. I made it to the park. Where should we-" he was cut off as a massive earthquake shook everything around them._

 _The ground split open and started to rise in the air, large cables and spires of Ceph design being the cause as the park now hung several hundred meters in the air above. "Holy shit..." Jason said looking up at the massive alien structure._

The footage continued with Gould explaining to Jason that the nuke was only ten minutes out and he had to work fast as he was airlifted into the levitated park. "They dropped you in alone?" asked Ashley no believing it.

"The ground was too unstable. And to be honest I needed them to keep the Ceph air units off my back while I shut the central spire down." explained Jason as they watched him fight through wave after wave of Ceph in order to reach the central spire in the center of it all.

 _ **"Proximity Alert."**_ _SECOND warned just before Jason was struck in the chest hard as a Ceph Guardian appeared out of thin air and hissed at him._

 _Swinging his fist out in retaliation, the creature vanished again before it could hit. "Track that thing." he said searching for his target._

 _ **"Scanning..."**_ _he kept both weapons up as he waited for either the AI to find it, or for it to pop out again._ _ **"Enemy Located."**_ _the air several feet to his left suddenly started sending out glowing teal fragments that moved around slowly._

 _"Gotcha." he said firing both K-Volts full blast. The Guardian shrieked as the electro-rounds struck it, disabling it's cloaking and burning it's flesh until it collapsed dead on the ground._

 _ **"Multiple Proximity Alert."**_ _said SECOND as two more Guardians dropped down and came at him from both sides._

 _He emptied both clips into the one on his right before it got too close while pulling out his knife to engage the other._ _ **"Maximum Armor."**_ _The creature's claws racked across the hardened weave on his chest before he tackled it to the ground, forcing it's head up as he drove the blade up under the armor of it's helmet._

 _'Jason you've gotta move now! That nuke is only two minutes out before it can't be called back!' shouted Gould over the comm as several dropships appeared around the central spire and began unloading more Ceph into the area._

 _The nano soldier lept up the small cliffface and made a made dash toward the spire. Kicking a Ceph Trooper out of the way as he entered the structure. The glowing red insides and the nanites flying around him made visibility nearly impossible. But Jason pushed forward as he felt the small machines in the air begin to rip into the nano suit._

 _ **"Warning: Suit Integrity Compromised."**_ _he ignored the AI as he kept going._

 _Small tears began to form along the suit the more he moved, almost too fast for it to repair itself._ _ **"Maximum Armor."**_ _he activated armor mode to assist, but the energy meter dropped like a lead weight giving him only a few moments of relief._ _ **"Energy Depleted."**_

The team couldn't look away. Jason's suit was now literally burning from the exposure to the spire's payload as he kept pushing forward. "My god..." Jane said covering her mouth as the nano soldier activated armor mode again and again until the suit started to malfunction.

 _Jason fell to his hands and knees and began to crawl. Each step became harder than the last, his legs felt heavy and it was becoming harder to whole body burned as though someone was dumping acid on him._

 _But he kept going, people were counting on him...he couldn't fail._ _ **"Multiple Suit Malfunctions Detected. Life Support Systems Failing."**_

 _He grunted, getting back to his feet and stumbling onward._

 _ **"Suit Integrity Critical. Life Signs Critical."**_ _the now Post-Human stood at the edge of the walkway, looking down into the spire's central chamber where the nanites were at their strongest. He gave a weak chuckle as the suit continued to burn._

 _"Game...Over..." he rasped out before he leaned forward and fell from the ledge. The current of nanites caught him and he hovered in place. The nano suit started to glow as it began altering the microscopic machines, changing their function as well as their targets just as the spire activated._

 _A loud cry or agony ripped from his throat as the nanites around him began to glow white. There was a large flash...and everything vanished._

Jason stared at the black screen and let out a deep breath. The nightmares at times were bad enough. But seeing everything that happened to him like that made it all come crashing back full force.

Part of him still couldn't believe that he lived through all of that. His body may not have any physical scarring from his ordeal in New York, but he remembered the pain, the desperation, the rage, all of it. And no matter how hard he tried to put it behind him, it would always creep back up and remind him again and again.

"Jason?" he looked up at Shepard who was looking at him with a mixture of feelings. Awe, shock, pride, and concern. All around the room he was getting similar looks. Hell, even Wrex was looking at him with a little unease after seeing all of that.

"That's my story." he said rolling his shoulders, suppressing his thoughts once again. "As for how I got here I really couldn't say. After all that I just woke up on Omega three years ago. To this day everything I did in New York haunts me. Prophet gave me this suit to fight the Ceph. I did that. Now I have a new purpose in this universe. To make sure something similar doesn't happen."

"Why tell us?" asked the Commander. "You had every right to deny us the truth, to keep your past hidden...why show us all of this?"

Jason gave a sad smile, "I don't know really. Maybe because I'm sick of carrying everything inside all the time. Maybe because I've grown to trust each of you in different ways. You don't know what it's like to have that kind of weight on your shoulders. It stays with you like a shadow waiting to swallow you whole."

He ran a hand over his head, "I had to watch countless people die while I had to keep fighting on. They say in war, at the end, you cherish what you've won...but no one really wants to talk about what was lost." he looked down at his hands. "I'm not even really a full Human anymore. I gave that up for the sake of doing what was right."

Picking up his helmet, he turned to the squad. His expression now cold and emotionless "So there it is. I hope the answers you were looking for are to your liking." No one could meet his gaze as he headed to the door. "Let me know when we reach Feros." and with that he was gone.

Jane watched him go with a heavy heart. Saddened that he had gone through so much before coming to this universe and fighting a whole nother war. After what he had been through, he had every right to lay down his guns and live in peace.

Yet he fights on, like any soldier bound by duty and honor. And that alone made the woman feel lucky just knowing someone like that.

"This is my fault." the Commander looked at Liara who had tears running down her blue cheeks. "I didn't mean to stumble onto his memories when I melded with him. And I shouldn't have said anything because I inadvertently invaded his privacy..."

"You had no way of knowing what you would find when you entered his mind." said Kaidan, trying to ease the young Asari.

Wrex grunted, "Worrying about the 'could haves' and 'what ifs' is pointless. Far as I'm concerned, that guy is the toughest I've ever met. On Tuchanka, he could have been a clan chief if he was a Krogan."

"He may be something more than Human, but he's still a soldier at his core." said Ashley, "We all saw how he was with the Marines in his world. Even when they looked at him like he was one of those Ceph, he still fought along side them."

Garrus didn't say anything, his eyes cast to the floor deep in thought about what they had all learned about Jason.

"None of what was seen and heard leaves this room." said Jane, garnering the attention of the whole team with how serious she had spoken. "We all owe Jason in some way, and even though he had full rights to tell us off he still told us about his past and who he is. We will respect that, understood?"

Acknowledgements answered her all around before the team started to file out of the room. The Commander sat back down in her chair, putting her head in her hands as she tried to think of where to go from here.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Personal Quarters**

 **August 2, 2183 - 05:10 hours**

Jason sat on his bed, back to the wall wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shit. His nano suit on the floor by the bed as he was able to relax without it on now.

They had reached Arcturus Station hours prior and acquired a new Mako. While at the same time depositing the Cerberus spy to the Alliance Intelligence Division. He had taken that time to quickly create false documents and had them installed into the _Normandy's_ systems.

As far as the crew on the ship was concerned, he was a private contractor sent to assist the ground team on their missions. Which allowed him to move about the ship without his suit on and having to hide all the time.

Speaking of crew, a few members of the ground team had come knocking at his door a couple times. Ashley had been first. Then Liara. Then Tali and finally Wrex which had been a shock. He knew he had to face them eventually, but he had to get his own head straight before jumping into all of that.

And he knew he owed Garrus an apology. His Turian friend didn't deserve to have all of that dropped on to him like that.

He showed them a lot in the briefing room. But he purposely left a lot of key elements out. They couldn't know his true past or how he really got here in the first place. They were his secrets to keep, and he would take them to the grave.

And he had been damn lucky that SECOND had managed to eject Liara from his mind before she wound up too deep and finding those secrets.

A knock at his door caught his attention. "SECOND?" he asked looking at the helmet on his nightstand.

 **"Commander Shepard."** informed the AI.

Jason sighed as he fired up his omni-tool and unlocked the door. Jane stood at the threshold and looked his way. "Hey." she said stepping in slowly.

"Hey." replied the nano soldier, not moving from his spot. "Something you needed, Shepard?" he asked.

"Do you have time to talk?" she asked taking a seat at his desk. Jason shrugged as she got comfortable. "How you holding up?" asked the Commander.

The Post-Human chuckled, "After everything I dropped on you guys that's the first thing you ask?" he shook his head. "I'm still breathing, sometimes that's all that matters."

"No it doesn't" said Jane shaking her head. "All of that, everything you've endured, it's nightmare stuff. What I went through in the Blitz didn't even come close to that, and I had people on my side to help me. You pretty much did it all solo." she explained.

"I'm a soldier, Shepard. It comes with the territory. I just got the lucky draw with a suit to give me a huge boost." replied Jason.

Jane looked him over, drinking the man's form in for the first time. The suit really didn't hide much. "The suit doesn't make the man." she said mentally berating herself for staring too long.

Jason grinned, "The man makes the suit. I know that by heart by now. But the suit and I are one. I can work fine without it, but I'm the only one that can use it. Symbiosis can't take me, but the nano suit has my DNA locked into it. So I call it a partnership for lack of a better term."

"Sounds fitting." said the Commander. "For what it's worth, I think you're a damn good soldier. And a Hero for what you've done. And you can bet that I'll have your back whenever and wherever you need it."

He smiled at her, something that had Shepard blushing a bit. "Thanks, Jane. That really means something." he said with his voice somber. "And I'll back you up too. We're a team, you, me, and the others. And with people like us fighting together, nothing can stop us." he finished with a grin.

The Commander smiled widely, both of them feeling like they were connecting on a good level. "How do you feel about walking around the _Normandy,_ without your suit on?"

"Better actually. I can survive either way, but I miss the freedom of actual clothes after a while, you know." he said honestly.

"I can understand that." she said with a small laugh. "You know the others want to talk to you about what happened. A few are concerned about you." she said getting to the root of another situation.

Jason nodded, "I know, and I will talk to them soon. I just needed time to reflect on everything. It was a lot for you guys, but it was a lot for me too. A lot of the shit that happened I wish I could forget. But life sucks like that sometimes."

"You become a better person because of it." said Jane speaking from past experience.

The nano soldier nodded, "Your right. And it's from all of that, that I continue to fight. And I'll rest once there are no more threats to the innocent out there. Prophet gave me this opportunity, now it's my turn to make it something more."

"Just don't forget that we're here too. Especially me, if you need anything." said Shepard standing and holding out her hand. Jason stood as well, clasping his hand with hers and shook.

Neither one of them failing to notice the spark that went up their arms, or the fact that their skin tingled a little from the contact. Jane looked up in Jason's eyes and swore she felt her heart skip a beat.

The cobalt orbs reflected the strength and will that he showed every day, but at the same time she could almost see the calm, gentle soul beneath that. She knew right away that Jason was someone who would fight to the bitter end for all the right reasons. With or without the nano suit assisting him.

"I...best be getting back to my rounds. We'll be at Feros before we know it." Jane said, managing to break eye contact and doing her best to hide her heated face.

Jason cleared his throat, more or less doing the same, "Yeah. I'll be heading down to work on my equipment later. I'll be ready when we reach the colony."

The Commander nodded and headed for the door, pausing a moment and looking back at the nano soldier. "And Jason? Don't be too hard on Liara. She was only trying to wake you up, I'm pretty sure she didn't mean to stumble onto your past."

"Things happen." Jason replied calmly, thinking back to how everything had panned out in the end. "Sometimes...they happen for a reason."

Jane nodded, sending him one last encouraging smile before leaving his quarters. The Post-Human laid back down on his bed and allowed his mind to drift off again, wondering how things would turn out for all of them from here.

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: A handful of small changes compared to the original, and I hope beyond that you all enjoyed how I put things together. Although the backlash of Jason's past being revealed to the crew isn't over yet, this will be as good a start as any for what is to come.**_

 _ **The mission to Feros is drawing closer, next update will be made within the next two days. Stay ready folks!**_


	30. Chapter 29

_**A/N: To be fair, I did say with in the next couple of days...**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Cargo Hold**

 **August 4, 2183 - 13:11 hours**

The last few days had been tense ones. Jason still felt a little odd walking around the ship without being in his suit, but it was a breath of fresh air knowing he didn't have to be trapped inside it all the time to keep his identity secret.

Everyone had given him space since he talked with Jane days prior. Though that didn't stop them from coming up with what they were going to say to him when he finally did come to them.

Jane had constantly come to his room or approached him when he was in the mess hall to talk. She may not have known the full extent of what he was feeling, but that didn't stop her from wanting to bring him out of the emotional armor he built around himself.

As she promised, he was there for her, she was there for him. And after what she and everyone saw she'd do anything to help him. And Jason felt grateful for that.

At the moment, Jason was in the cargo hold working on his weapons for their next mission. Sitting at a workbench wearing jeans and a black underarmor shirt as he pressed bullet after bullet into clips for his Hammer pistol and stacking them off to the side.

They would be at Feros in a few hours, and considering the situation on the ground was most likely deteriorating quickly with the Geth presence they'd be taking the whole team to help retake the colony.

Finishing with the clip he was working on and staring on checking the heatsink for his assault rifle, Jason's sharp hearing picked up footfalls on the metal floor approaching him from behind.

"Mav-Jason?" He turned in his seat and saw Ashley standing uneasily behind him.

"Chief." he said nodding at her before returning to his task. "Is there something you needed?" he asked finishing on his AR before taking out his shotgun and doing the same maintenance.

"Just wanted to talk. None of us have seen much of you in the last few days." she said standing next to him, picking up one of the pistol clips and looking it over with a careful eye. "Old clips and rounds that still work. Never thought I'd see something like this and have it still be effective."

Jason finished with his shotgun and began going over a shield generator he acquired from their last trip to the Citadel with his omni tool. "Any soldier knows how to maintain their weapons, Chief. You know this better than anyone." he said as he finished collecting the data needed on the barrier device and allowing SECOND to help generate a way to integrate it into the nano suit's systems.

Ashley set the clip back down on the bench, "You know, had I not seen all of that with my own eyes I wouldn't have believed it." she said speaking about the incident days ago. "But seeing all of that puts things into a different perspective."

"How so?" asked Jason slapping a fresh clip into his Hammer and setting it aside.

"Despite the fact that even through you're stronger than a regular Human, and power around in a suit that's more advanced than any hard suit in production, you're still a soldier at heart. A Marine with honor and morals that would make anyone proud. And for what it's worth," the Gunnery Chief stood at attention and snapped a salute to him. "I'm honored to know someone like you. And the service you did for Earth, even if it wasn't the one from here." she said smiling.

The nano soldier stood and saluted the woman back. "Thank you, Williams." Ashley nodded and headed over to her work station. Jason shook his head smiling as he put his weapons and equipment away before heading toward the elevator.

He stopped halfway when he saw Garrus working at the terminal bank next to their new Mako. Most likely doing calibrations to ensure that the vehicle was at full capacity for when they needed it again.

A sigh escaped him, he had been putting off talking with his friend for too long. It was cowardice, and that was something that wasn't who Jason was. Squaring his shoulders, he made to walk over when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

Following the hand, he saw two crimson-slitted eyes looking back at him. "Harlow." said Wrex as the Post-Human turned around to face him.

"Wrex." said Jason as he stood at his full height in front of the Krogan Warlord.

Silence filled the air a moment before Wrex started chuckling. "Always thought you were a tough son of a bitch. Now I know for sure." he patted the man on the shoulder hard a few times. "On Tuchanka you'd be looked at as a comrade, and brother among my people for what you've done."

Jason smirked, "Good to know I got the Krogan seal of approval for kicking ass."

Wrex barked a laugh, "Just know that if you go stepping into any kind of hell like that again. This old Krogan will be right there watching your six every step of the way. It's too bad those Ceph bastards don't exist here, they'd prove to be one hell of a good fight." he said slamming his fists together.

"Who knows Wrex, but let's focus on taking down Saren and his army of toaster ovens before we go jumping into another war." said Jason shaking his head.

The two walked away as the nano soldier approached his Turian friend. "Garrus." he said standing a few feet behind him. The C-Sec detective kept doing his work. Jason let out a breath. "Look, I know your pissed. You have every right to be with all I've kept from you. But you have to see it from my stand point. Anyone out in the Traverse would kill to have the nano suit and my corpse. I couldn't put people in danger like that."

Garrus stopped typing at the terminal as he continued. "Ever since I came here I had no one. Just like in New York. Then I met Thrax, Reena, Chellick, you, and I felt like I actually belonged somewhere for the first time since my nightmare began."

Jason walked forward and put a hand on the Turian's shoulder, "You and Chellick are like brothers to me. Reena like a sister. You guys are family in more ways than you can possibly imagine. And I'd die protecting my family. I'm sorry I lied to all of you for so long, but I wouldn't put this burden on anyone else."

His hand fell away as he turned and headed for the elevator. "You know...I should be pissed at you." he paused and turned back to see Garrus facing him. "But all I can see is you burning alive inside that spire in your old world. Willing to die to make sure your Earth was safe. Then I think about all of the other crazy shit I've seen you do as Maverick here in this world. And you know what?...I still think your the same Jason we met at Flux three years ago."

Jason smirked and Garrus did the same. "Don't get me wrong, I still consider you a crazy bastard. But now I know you're a crazy bastard I can trust." said Garrus holding out his hand. The Post-Human shook it, the two friends nodding at each other before before going separate ways.

X

Jane sat in the mess hall after going through her rounds. Joker had told her that they'd be coming out of FTL above Feros in about two hours and they would try to reestablish radio contact with the colony before docking at their spaceport.

Liara and Kaidan were sitting with her talking about different forms of biotics, Tali not too far away eating from a nutrient paste tube.

As she sat there, her mind began drifting to Jason. Ever since he revealed himself to them he kept coming back into her thoughts. They had shared a few more talks after the first one when he talked about his past and she really started to get to know him.

He was still guarded about certain things, but he knew he could trust her and told her what he was comfortable with. And in turn she told him a little bit about herself. Mostly about her military career and her role in the Blitz.

The Commander enjoyed their talks greatly, and she couldn't help but feel warm when the nano soldier said her first name when they were together.

Jane perked up when she saw the others looking at her. "You alright, Commander?" asked Kaidan.

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind lately." she replied drinking her coffee.

They all looked up when they saw Jason walk into the room, fixing himself a tray of food and coming over and sitting down next to Jane. "Afternoon." he said digging into his plate. Everyone at the table looked at each other before going back to him.

"Hello Jason. Are you well?" asked Liara. Even though she was still weary in the Post-Human's presence given what had happened in the medbay and how angry he might be at her, she still tried to be as kind as possible to avoid making it worse.

Jason nodded, "Yeah, I feel pretty good today." he looked up at the Asari. Still a little put off with her about the mental intrusion she had done to him.

Even though he understood her reasoning, the fact that she ended up blurting out his personal secrets to the others still didn't sit right with him. He wasn't scornful toward her, but at the same time he kept his distance. The Commander had told him that they two of them needed to talk it out and soon to avoid a rift appearing within the team.

Kaidan regarded the Post-Human and pulled him out of his thoughts, "If you don't mind, I have to ask. What else are you capable of? I mean, we've seen you in combat, and seeing what you've gone through proves that you can adapt to just about any combat situation."

Jason smirked, "That's a trade secret, Alenko. But trust me, when it comes to combat I'm ready for almost anything." he said going back to his lunch.

"I'm actually very curious about this VI of yours." said Tali. "The way you described its functions sounds effective, and dangerous."

"The VI isn't sentient Tali, believe me. I wouldn't let SECOND anywhere near my brain if it had the ability to completely assimilate me like it almost did to Major Barnes." said Jason. "Consider it a hyper-fast data tool that can store any and all information into the most powerful supercomputer known."

"And what's that?" asked the Quarian interested.

Jason tapped the side of his head. "The Brain. It has near infinite storage for all kinds of data. SECOND can download anything from video links, blueprint schematics, audio files, and can process real time combat data in the blink of an eye from the suit right to the user's brain."

"Sounds like one hell of a headache." said Kaidan, thinking of the migraines he gets from his L2 implants.

"How does something like that operate?" asked Tali, now very curious.

"Its powered by a parasitic blood-glucose infusion and an electrolytic micro-stack that takes the form of a small chip." explained the Post-Human. "Since its essentially a DNA computer, it can process data at 1.5 BIPS."

Tali's eyes widened behind her visor, "Keelah...that's unfathomable. All of that technological power sent straight to a person's brain?"

Jane looked at Jason, "Isn't that dangerous, letting something like that free reign inside your head when your in the suit?"

"SECOND is strictly non-sentient. It was designed that way to ensure the user's mind wouldn't become corrupted should the suit assimilate the user." said the nano soldier, talking about symbiosis.

"And that asshole Hargreave knew full well about symbiosis too." growled Kaidan. "Advancements in warfare be damned, nothing is worth losing your Humanity in such a way and becoming just a living weapon."

Jason stared off into space a moment. "You've never been in that situation before. You wouldn't understand." he said somberly. "Laurence Barnes sacrificed everything he was to become Prophet. When his flesh and blood held him back, he sacrificed that too, replacing it like a spare part. Victory always costs, Alenko. And Everytime, you pay a little more."

Everyone at the table felt the air getting heavy, Jason looked at each of them. "The scary thing about that is...I would have done the same thing if it meant stopping the Ceph and saving lives. Prophet taught me the price you have to pay to do what needs to be done. And it's one of the credos I will follow every time I go into combat."

He slowly came back down from his mood, "I'm a soldier, my job is to protect." he said smirking, "And right now I'm going to protect this galaxy from Saren and the Geth. And I'll take them down just as hard as I did CELL and the Ceph."

Jane smiled at him, the conviction in his words just as prominent as the other times he spoke. A conviction that matched, if not surpassed her own. And deep down she knew that it was that drive that would help them win this.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Drake**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Feros Docking Bays**

 **August 4, 2183 - 15:15 hours**

The _Normandy_ had managed to get into contact with the colony when they came out of FTL. Joker had reported that they were still getting hit hard by the Geth, so Jane and Jason both agreed that the whole team would be going in to help secure the colony.

When the ship finished docking, the whole team stood at the airlock in full armor and weapons ready as they stepped out on to the concrete path of the docking area.

Jason looked around for any hostiles while having SECOND scan the area for anything abnormal. **"Unknown Biological Agent Detected."** said the AI bringing up a read out of the spore on the HUD. **"Scanning...Neurological Chemicals Present. Potential Distortion of Organic Brainwaves."**

"Shepard, SECOND's picking up some strange spore in the air. Says that it possesses neurological chemicals that could alter the brainwaves of organics." said Jason speaking through his voice filter.

Jane gave him a startled look, before addressing the rest of the team. "Helmets and masks on people." she said slipping her own helmet on to filter out the spores.

They finished up just as a lone man approached them slowly. "We saw your ship, Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately." he said standing before them.

"Who's Fai Dan?" asked Shepard noticing something wasn't right with the man. He seemed distracted, a little too calm despite the situation. His eyes looked left and right like he as waiting for something.

"He's our leader. He needs your help with the Geth, they're making another push." said the colonist.

 **"Hostiles Detected."** Jason grabbed the colonist and dropped to the ground as a rocket flew over their heads. A squad of Geth had massed by the exit to the docking bay as they were talking and had now taken defensive positions.

The team got into cover and returned fire. Jason poked up with his AR and shot through the optic of the Rocket Trooper that had fired at them from before. He tagged all of the synthetics on his HUD before taking out another.

Kaidan and Liara both used their biotics to lift several Geth into the air allowing the others to shoot them down.

With most of the Geth down, the squad moved up to mop up the rest. A few more Troopers came out to engage them but were cut down before they could get an effective shot off. Jason burrowed the blade of his knife into the optic of the last one standing before giving the all clear. "At least we know what we're up against." said Ashley from under her helmet.

They entered the stairwell with the shaken colonist safely tucked behind them as they made their way up to the colony. Jane caught movement and fired her assault rifle into the air. A Geth Stalker collapsed to the ground dead after being hit in mid-leap. A second one landed on the wall above them, but Wrex's shotgun registered. Blowing the agile Geth in half before it could dodge.

"Looks like the Geth have a good foothold to have troops this well spaced." said Garrus as they exited the stairwell and into the colony.

The place had been hit hard. A few buildings were smoldering ruins while several others had bullet holes and pulse burns along the sides. Colonists were everywhere. Either tending to damages done to their homes, tending to the wounded or setting up perimeters.

"These are colonists, not warriors." muttered Wrex looking around for possible hostiles.

"When pushed to a certain point. Anyone will take up arms to save their homes." said Jason casting a glance Jane's way. The Commander sent a silent thank you with her eyes as the colonists on guard let them in.

 **"Spore Toxicity Increasing."** warned SECOND as the level gauge for the spores went higher.

Jason had the AI collect as many samples as possible through the nano suit's outer-layer before he activated a private comm channel with Shepard. "Jane, the spore toxicity in the air is getting worse the farther in the colony we get. Whatever is causing it is close by." he said knowing full well what it was.

"Can you figure out the cause?" asked the Commander through the link.

"Not yet. I'm having SECOND work on it now, but it's unlike anything that's been encountered before." he replied as they continued to move through the colony. "Also...I think the colonists are already being affected by the spores."

Jane looked around and saw that he was right. Even through the Geth had been hitting them hard, the colonists seemed a little too calm. Like something was easing their minds even while exhausted from the constant fighting. "You think they'll turn on us by whatever's releasing the spores?"

"Possible. Keep your eyes open for anything else that's out of the ordinary." said the nano soldier ending the link as they approached the colony's leader.

"Commander Shepard, Maverick, I'm glad they finally sent someone to help us with all of this." said Fai Dan.

"You're a bit late aren't you?" asked the woman next to him heatedly.

"Arcelia." Fai Dan said sternly. "I'm sorry, everyone's on edge since this all star-"

Jason saw movement in the stairwell behind them and fired his rifle. The Geth Shock Trooper fell dead as more started to come out of the opening. "Get in to cover!" he shouted as everyone scrambled into action.

"Protect the heart of the colony!" Fai Dan orders as the colonists fought back with them.

Tali dropped into cover next to him, firing an overload that shorted a Geth Trooper out before it could step out of the stairwell. The others wasting no time putting the synthetics down before they could get a foothold within the colony's boarders.

After a few minutes the Geth pulled back realizing their attack had failed. "Keep pushing! We have to drive them away from the colony at all costs!" Ordered Shepard.

"Tali, Kaidan, with us. The rest of you help secure the colony and make sure no more Geth can flank us." said Jason as the four of them entered the stairwell guns drawn.

Several Geth were already waiting for them. A barrage of rounds, biotic attacks and overloads dropped each of them quickly as they pressed onward. When they reached halfway, two colonists came stumbling down the stairs. One supporting another that had a bullet wound in her leg. "The Geth are right behind us!" she shouted..

Jason brought his rifle up and took the head off of a Stalker that had been following them, "Get back to the colony, move!"he ordered as the team covered their escape. Two Shock Troopers came around the corner and activated their shields when they were fired upon.

Jane pulled out a grenade and tossed it through the air, hitting the ground and rolling between them just before it exploded and blew them to scrap. "We have to be getting close." she said venting the heatsink in her assault rifle.

They reached the top floor and stacked up on either side of the entrance. "Options?" asked Kaidan powering up his biotics.

"Wait here." said Jason. as he activated his cloak and entered the room. The space beyond was a shooting gallery. Roughly eight Geth had established defenses with half a dozen assault drones hovering in the air. "We got eight Geth, two of them Juggernauts. Two others are snipers up on the high wall." he whispered into the comm while tagging the hostiles. "Six assault drones in the air for support." he finished reporting.

"Can you soften them up in any way?" asked the Commander.

Jason drew his bow and knocked an arrow with a delayed explosive. "Wait for my signal." he fired the arrow, sticking the wall behind the two snipers up high. He drew a second and stuck the ground behind one of the Juggernauts. Job done, he took cover behind a wall and brought out his omni-tool. "Get ready." he said into the comm before hitting the detonation switch.

The two arrows exploded. The first causing the wall behind the snipers to collapse and buy them under debris. The second blew the Juggernaut apart before it could get it's barriers up to defend.

With the explosions past, Jason leapt out of cover and fired a strong overload that zapped half of the assault drones and caused them to fall to the ground disabled. The rest of the team stormed the large room guns blazing. The Geth fought back despite their decrease in numbers as they were being picked off.

Jason leaned out and fired the hacking program he and SECOND had made back on Therum. The remaining Juggernaut shuddered before its optic changed to red and it started firing on the other Geth. With the attacks coming from both sides the remaining synthetics couldn't defend and were dead before they could recalculate.

"All clear." said Kaidan as they got out of cover.

"Not yet. Geth dropship!" shouted Tali as the vessel hovered over the large hole in the building's ceiling and began dropping additional support. Half a dozen Shock Troopers unfolded and began firing on them, forcing them back into cover.

The Juggernaut continued to provide support for the team before the oncoming pulse fire overwhelmed it and it shut down.

Jason popped up and took out on of the Shock Troopers before scanning the remaining ones. **"Tactical Options Available."** he looked to Jane as she got back into cover. "Shepard flank them with Tali, Kaidan and I will cover you." he said getting up. **"Maximum Armor."**

The Commander motioned for Tali to follow her as Kaidan and Jason provided covering fire. They moved in behind the Geth without them seeing, Jane popped a grenade and tossed it over their cover. The synthetics were unprepared for the explosive that ripped them apart.

This gave Jason and Kaidan the opportunity to strike back. Kaidan fired a shockwave that sent the remaining platforms flying and allowing the others to pick them off before they could move again.

Overhead, the Geth ship flew away. "Now we're all clear." said Jason putting a round in the back of the head of a Geth trying to crawl away.

"Let's head back to the colony and regroup. We've taken care of the Geth for now, but they could be back at any time." said Jane as they all fell in and started to head back.

Jason's HUD told him that SECOND had finished isolating and scanning the spores that had been floating around. He knew the Thorian was responsible, he just needed to figure out a plan that would save the colonists and kill the sentient plant before things could get worse.

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: The Feros mission has officially begun, and with things with the crew mostly handled for the time being it's safe to say that they will need to pull together to ensure they make it through what is to come.**_

 _ **This update was a surprise given the short length, but the next one will take me another day or so to complete. So until then folks!**_


	31. Chapter 30

_**A/N...You know what, this feels like a big update day for me.**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Feros Colony**

 **August 4, 2183 - 15:57 hours**

The Geth had been routed for the time being, but deep down the team knew that it was only a matter of time before they struck the colony again. And the colonists were in no shape to take another hit.

Jason patrolled the outer perimeter with Ashley, the others doing the same in separate sectors while Jane talked with Fai Dan about where the Geth were coming from and what they were after.

The nano soldier had no problem with the Commander doing most of the talking. Between the two Spectres, Shepard was the most charismatic when it came to stuff like this. But no matter what she picked from the leader of the colony Jason already knew everything.

But the real question was what was the Post-Human going to do about the knowledge he had of this place.

"Think the Skipper can figure out what's going on around here?" asked Ashley with her helmet still on. "I mean, the colonists are acting really weird. Could it have something to do with those spores your VI picked up?"

"Possible. But I'm not 100%. SECOND's been running scans every few moments and the highest concentration of spores are coming from here in the colony. My best guess is that whatever's making them is close by." said Jason as they finished their last trek around the settlement.

"How bad do you think it could be?" asked the Gunnery Chief.

Jason looked around them at all of the dazed colonists, "Considering what's happening to the people here? Very bad."he said as they regrouped with the rest of the squad in the center of the settlement.

"Here's where we're at." said Jane as she brought up a map of the area with her omni-tool. "The Geth are coming from the Exogeni building a few clicks down the skyway. If we can stop them at the source, then we can ensure that the colony will be safe. But at the same time we can't leave these people unprotected, according to Fai Dan there's a Geth transmitter in the sewers under us that gives them an edge. We take that out, then we can release the strangle hold they have on the colony."

"So we're splitting up." said Garrus understanding the situation.

Jason nodded in agreement, "Makes sense, we split into three groups we can hit all objectives at once. Shepard can take a group with her and hit the Exogeni building, while I take a team into the tunnels and take out the transmitter, we can leave a two man team here with the colonists to make sure that the Geth don't attempt another push."

The team all agreed. "So whose going where?" asked Kaidan.

"I'll take Liara and Garrus with me." said Jane.

"I'll take Tali and Ashley, Wrex and Kaidan can stay and help support." finished Jason as they began mapping out their plans.

"There are also a few issues with the colony that need to be met as well." said Jane. "Water, food and power cells to help get this place back on it's feet."

Jason nodded and brought up his omni-tool, "Send me the data and we'll take care of it while we deal with the transmitter." he looked around a moment to make sure none of the colonists were around before leaning in close, "Shepard, whatever is going on with these people can probably be explained at the Exogeni building. This isn't natural, and those scientists fund this place. They have got to have the answers to it all."

The Commander nodded seriously as they all split up. As Jason took his team down the stairs toward the sewer system he had already begun formulating a plan of action.

X

On a small bridge connecting to the tunnel network under the colony, two Geth platforms stood on guard for anyone that would try to pass. The two synthetics stayed motionless, small clicks coming from them as their optics searched for hostiles.

A rock shifted to their right making the Geth aim their weapons at the disturbance. One of the platforms moved forward and scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary. The platform that was still in its original spot looked left just before an invisible blade was jammed up through its head, spilling white fluid across the ground.

The first Geth looked back as its counter-part fell to the ground lifeless. Its optic scanned for what had killed the other platform when a soft _'twang'_ sound was heard. The synthetic's optic exploded in a shower of sparks as an arrow burst from the back of its head.

As the body fell over the railing and into the water below, Jason decloaked and lowered his bow. "All clear." he said as Ashley and Tali came out of cover.

"Nicely executed." said Ashley peering over the railing. Tali looked at the other dead Geth before looking at Jason as he refolded the bow and put it on his back before drawing his AR. "What's next?" she asked as they started to move deeper into the tunnels.

"There are three valves connecting the main water system to the colony. They need to be reactivated to get the water running again." said Jason as they stepped through the first archway. He pointed to a small panel on the wall, "That should be one of them."

Tali brought out her omni-tool and reactivated the valve system before they moved on down the tunnel. "What do you think the Geth are after here?" asked Ashley with her assault rifle sweeping from side to side.

"What ever it is, it's something that Saren wants. And that alone could mean something about the Conduit or the Reapers." said Tali as she activated the second valve at the end of the tunnel.

"Either way, we need to shut them down and find out what he was after." said Jason as he opened a doorway leading into a large room with a slope leading up to a roadway that had caved in long ago. At the top of the slope was a Grizzly that looked like it hadn't run in several years. "That might have the power cells that the colony needs." said the nano soldier as they started heading up toward the old vehicle.

They were about halfway when growling began to echo all around them.

From under the various piles of rubble came over a dozen Varren. All of them about the size of an average dog with sharp teeth and claws. Their ember colored eyes leering at the team as they closed in on them.

"This is exactly why my younger sister is a cat person." mumbled Ashley with her rifle on the nearest Varren.

From the back of the pack, a Varren easily twice the size of the others stalked forward. It's hide a dark orange color with black along the spine making it look much more different than the silver and black Varren around it.

"That's the Alpha. The colonist that spoke to Shepard said that he's been causing the hunting parties problems." said Jason raising his shotgun at the lead Varren.

The Alpha growled menacingly as the pack began to close in around them. "Do we have a plan?" asked Tali quietly while keeping her shotgun leveled on a Varren that had started getting closer to her.

"You two trust me right?" the nano soldier asked seriously.

The two women glanced at him oddly. "Yes...why?" asked Ashley unsure.

 **"Maximum Armor."** He quickly grabbed them both by the waist and tossed them the rest of the way up the slope. The sudden movement making all of the Varren leap ontop of Jason in a huge pile, biting and clawing at the hardened weave of the suit.

Tali and Ashley landed on their feet and looked back in shock as the Varren attacked the Spectre in force. The Alpha prowling around the pack waiting for an opening.

The sound of a shotgun going off echoed through the room, a Varren was blown away from the group and landed in a bloody heap several feet away. Another shot fired and another of the creatures flew away.

Jason stood with two Varren hanging off of his form by their teeth as he raised his shotgun and shot another, blowing it's head clean off its shoulders. He swung around sending the two Varren hanging off of him crashing into the wall before shooting another one.

Ashley and Tali fired from their elevated position. Taking down any Varren that were scattered around. The Alpha charged through the chaos and snapped it's jaws at Jason's leg only for the Post-Human to kick it hard in the side, sending it skidding across the ground.

Facing the Alpha, Jason tossed his shotgun aside and drew a Hammer in one hand with his combat knife in the other. "Com'mon big boy!" he shouted as the large Varren came at him again.

The nano soldier fired several rounds that the creature was able to dodge around before making another attempt at snapping it's powerful jaws at him. Jason leapt out of range and slashed his knife, carving a large gash along the Varren's head making it yelp and jump away.

Hearing growls coming from behind him, the nano soldier spun around and drove the knife into another Varren's head as it lept at him from behind. The Alpha ignored it's pain and charged the Post-Human and leaping on to his back.

Jason flipped forward causing the Alpha to hit the ground. Rolling with the momentum and landing on top of the large Varren with his pistol aimed at it's head. The rest of the Hammer's clip emptied into it's skull, splattering blood and grey matter across the ground with each shot fired.

Tali took down another Varren with her shotgun as the rest of the pack started to back off. Ashley finished venting her rifle as she looked down seeing Jason standing over the dead Alpha Varren.

The Spectre collected his dropped weapons before rejoining the women at the top of the slope by the Grizzly. "Now that, that's out of the way." he said heading for the dead vehicle.

"You know you could have warned us." said Ashley not liking being tossed across the room like a stone. Tali nodded in agreement as Jason pulled the working power cell from the Grizzly and stashing it in one of his packs.

"Sorry, but my suit could take the damage. Couldn't risk having you lose a limb or Tali having her suit punctured." he said turning to them and drawing his AR again. "You've seen how vicious those things can be."

"Still, warn us next time okay?" asked Ashley as they left the room and resumed their search for the Geth transmitter and the final valve for the water supply.

They didn't have to search far. The last valve was right next to a small bridge that lead to another door on the opposite side of the tunnel network. "Alright, that's the last valve." said Tali finishing up.

Jason got on his comm, "Wrex, Kaidan, we're almost finished up down here. How's everything on your end?"

 _"Everything's quiet up here. But the colonists are starting to get a little restless. It's like something's bothering them."_ Kaidan replied.

Mentally cursing, Jason kept himself focused. "Keep an eye on them, if that spore is really effecting them who knows what could happen. Have you heard anything from the Commander and her team?"

 _"Just talked to her a few minutes before you contacted us. They're still moving across the skyway and dealing with the Geth that are guarding the roads. They found survivors that evacuated and are close to the Exogeni building."_ said the Lieutenant.

"Keep us posted Kaidan." said Jason as he closed the link. His motion tracker went off and he spun around weapon ready to see a lone man stumbling toward them.

"You...shouldn't be down here." he said before grabbing his head in pain.

"Who are you? Why aren't you with the other colonists?" asked Ashley suspiciously.

"NO!" he shouted making the squad tense. The man shook his head as though he was trying to clear his mind.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" asked Jason keeping his rifle ready.

"Just involking the master's whip. Helps remind me I'm still alive." said the colonist with a glazed look in his eyes. "Your here for the Geth, aren't you? Your not the only ones interested in those things."

The squad looked at one another a moment, "Who else is looking for the Geth?" asked Tali unsure of the strange man.

"Not looking for. Looking to get rid of. They're a thorn in the side of the...ahhhhhhhhhh!" the man screamed holding his head as though it were going to burst. "Trying to get to the...AH ha hahahahaha!" he cackled madly.

"What the hell's wrong with this guy?" asked Ashley as the crazed colonist fell to his knees.

"Is there any way for us to help you?" asked Tali worried about the man's health.

"Help me? No...no one can help me now. I would rather die fighting." he said weakly.

"Fighting what? What is happening to the colony? Does it have something to do with the spores that are in the air?"asked Jason.

"It's...not that kind of fight. More like running through a thorn bush, the more you struggle...the more...ah!" the colonist gripped his head again. "Can't...can't take it...ask Fai Dan. Ask him about the...ARGH!" he collapsed onto the ground hard and fell unconscious.

Jason went to the man's side and brought up his omni-tool. "SECOND, what can you tell me?" he asked as he scanned the man's body and finding him still alive.

 **"Unknown Spore Chemicals Detected in Subject's Brain. Brainwave Patterns Severely Altered."** said the AI.

"I was right." he said standing and facing the women, "The spores are in his brain and affecting his thoughts. And since he's from the colony..."

"Then there's a chance that the rest of the colonists are affected too." said Tali in horror.

Jason got on his comm immediately. "Kaidan, we just encountered a crazed colonist down here in the tunnels. His brain has been severely altered by the spores SECOND detected in the air, there's a chance that the rest of the colony could be affected as well."

 _"I had a feeling that was what's going on. The colonists are getting more restless. Me and Wrex are considering falling back to your location, they got us a bit out numbered out here."_ said Kaidan.

"We're going to take out the transmitter. Meet us back at the entrance to the sewer system so we can regroup and come up with a plan." said Jason as they started moving again.

 _"Good luck guys, Alenko out."_

X

Finding the transmitter wasn't hard. Jason used SECOND's hacking program to search through Geth channels and pin pointed its location to a room across the bridge they had passed. He had also tagged roughly half a dozen hostiles protecting the transmitter.

"Get ready." said Jason as they stacked up by the door. He hit the switch allowing it to open causing two rockets to fly through the opening and explode against the far wall. "Rocket Drones up high, Tali, double overload on my mark."

They both powered their omni-tools and waited for the right moment before Jason gave the signal. Leaning out, the tech attacks struck the drones that were on the upper ledge. Shorting them out and shutting them down permanently.

Two Geth Shock Troopers came out of cover and started firing on the squad. Ashley primed a grenade and tossed it over their cover. Blowing the synthetics to scrap before they knew what was happening.

The squad moved in fast, hoping to hit the remaining resistance hard before they could regroup. A Geth came around the corner only for Jason to grab it by the neck and smash its head against the wall. Crumpling it like a tin can before it collapsed to the floor.

Peering around the same corner, Jason saw two Krogan standing guard by the transmitter in the far corner. "Got two Krogan. I'll take the one on the left, you two take the one on the right." he said taking out his bow and knocking an explosive arrow. "Ready...NOW!" they flipped out of cover and opened fire.

Jason let the arrow fly and watched it sink into the chest plate of the first Krogan before the large alien exploded in a cloud of blood and gore, distracting his partner long enough for Ashley and Tali to put him down with combined assault rifle and shotgun rounds.

Ash walked up to the downed Krogan as it started to regenerate and put several more rounds in it's head to make sure it stayed down. "All clear." she said moving to secure the rest of the room.

Tali approached the transmitter and brought up her omni-tool. "Taking down the transmitter will stop the Geth from communicating at long distances. The colony will have a fighting chance if they ever come back." she said hitting a few buttons.

"Do it." said Jason keeping his bow ready.

The Quarian fired a concentrated overload into the machine causing it to short out and explode moments later. "All done, let's get back." she said as they left the room and back into the tunnels.

"Shepard, it's Maverick. We took out the transmitter, how are things on your end?" Jason said into the comms.

Static was his response. "Commander? Are you there? Respond." he tried again with the same results. "Joker, are you picking up anything from Shepard's team?"

 _"Negative. The Geth probably set up a jammer somewhere in their location. We'll just have to wait until they take it out."_ replied the helmsmen.

They approached the tunnel where the first two water valves were located and was shocked to see the bodies of five Geth laid scattered all over the place. In the back of the tunnel stood Kaidan and Wrex with their weapons ready. "Took you long enough, you missed a good fight." said the Krogan.

"You didn't see what we did." commented Jason as they approached, "What's the situation up in the colony?"

"Bizzare." said Kaidan. "The people are acting very strange. And the more time that passes the more restless they get. I can't really explain it."

"The man we encountered back there said something about 'involking the master's whip'. It sounds crazy, but I think that he was being controlled by somebody." said Ashley.

"Or some _thing_." said Jason bringing up his omni-tool and displaying a read out to them. "This is the spore SECOND has been scanning since we arrived. According to the readings, it's plant-like in nature. The spores secrete a neurological chemical that disrupts brainwaves, the colonist back in the tunnels had the chemical in his head. So whatever is making the spores is what's causing the people to act the way they do. But the spores only secrete a little of the chemical, someone would have to be exposed for a long period of time to get the reactions we are seeing."

"The people from Exogeni have been funding this place...you don't think they knew about all of this do you?" asked Tali.

"It wouldn't surprise me. But right now we have to deal with the problem before it get's out of hand." said Jason. "Shepard's out of radio contact, most likely from a jamming device. We're on our own right now."

"So what exactly are we dealing with here?" asked Wrex.

"A plant that can control minds. And my best guess is that it's underneath the colony in one of the many tunnels throughout the area. We need to find it, and kill it." said the nano soldier taking out his shotgun.

"What about the colonists?" asked Kaidan. "If their being controlled, then they'll be sent after us to stop us from reaching whatever's causing this."

"Then we use non-lethal methods. Stun attacks from our omni-tools, weak biotics, hand to hand. No killing." ordered the Spectre.

Wrex looked back the way they came and raised his shotgun. "Incoming!" The team all readied weapons, but paused when they saw what was coming.

It looked Humanoid in shape with dark green skin and black eyes. It had long black claws on each hand and shuffled like it had two broken knees. And what was worse was that there were four more behind it, all drawing closer.

"What the fuck are those things?" wondered Ash keeping her rifle steady.

"Don't know, don't care. Take them out!" Jason ordered putting a three round burst through the head of the lead Creeper, splattering dark green blood across the ground as it fell. The rest of the team opened fire and put the rest down quickly before approaching the corpses.

"Keelah...it's like the Husks the Geth have been making. Only far more gruesome." said Tali poking one of the bodies with her shotgun. A bit of green slime dripped from the corpse's mouth onto the stone ground where it started to fizzle and burn.

"Acid. Highly corrosive." said Kaidan examining it. "We need to be careful, I have a feeling we're going to be encountering a lot more of these things when we reach the colony."

Weapons armed, the team of five began making their way back up the stair well. Keeping their eyes and ears open for anything even remotely hostile as they moved farther up.

They didn't make it too far when they encountered more of the Creepers that had been waiting for them. Their weapons tore through the weak flesh of the zombified-creatures quickly, but more kept coming to replace the fallen.

Jason vented his shotgun as the others had to switch weapons since their other ones couldn't vent fast enough. "Keep pushing!" he shouted taking down three Creepers that had gotten close. One ran at Wrex and attempted to spew acid when the Warlord grabbed it by the throat and hurled it hard into the wall.

The team was mostly using shotguns by that point. Kaidan sticking with a heavy pistol and using his biotics to keep the creature back long enough for them to be taken out. With bodies still piling up they managed to reach the top of the stairs were the colony was located.

Two colonists jumped up from cover with pistols in their hands and fired forcing them into cover. "What the hell!" shouted Kaidan.

"Looks like whatever's controlling them took charge." said Jason as he looked over the fallen pillar he was behind. **"Maximum Armor."** he put away the rifle and lept over his cover before charging the colonists. Sliding over their cover and grabbing their faces.

He konked their heads together just hard enough to knock them out before signaling the others to move up. "If they've already started attacking, then we can be sure the rest of the colonists are the same way right now." he explained. "The objectives are still the same. Non-lethal, no killing. Subdue them anyway you can without causing serious injury."

They entered the colony slowly and saw something most would see out of a horror movie.

Creepers came stalking out of the shadows, emitting low moans as they approached the squad. Brainwashed colonists walked among them holding various tools and firearms in their hands with glazed looks in their eyes.

Kaidan fired up his biotics, Tali her omni-tool while Ashley loaded concussion rounds into her weapon. Wrex racked his Claymore, ready to tear the Creepers apart. Jason cracked his knuckles and drew his Hammer pistol and his knife. "Alright. Wrex, you and I will deal with the Creepers. The rest of you subdue the colonists."

The large group of people and creatures moved in closer as the team got ready.

"NOW!" the Post-Human ordered as they went on the attack.

Jason pistol whipped the first colonist he saw before putting two rounds into the head of a Creeper that was next to them.

Kaidan focused his biotics to lift only the colonists into the air before dropping them back to the ground and knocking them out, allowing Wrex to blast the Creepers that had been standing with them a moment before with his shotgun.

Tali jammed her omni-tool into the chest of another colonist and tazed them until they dropped. She ducked out of the way when a Creeper got close and took a swipe at her with it's claws. She pulled out her pistol and shot it in the head and quickly did the same to another that tried to flank her.

Ash took down a few brainwashed people before switching to regular ammo and spraying it onto the oncoming crowd of Creepers that tried to overwhelm them. But the more they put down, the more seemed to take their place.

Jason dumped the empty clip from his pistol and slammed in a fresh one before stabbing another Creeper in the head with his knife.

A shout from behind caught his attention. Kaidan moved back quickly as three Creepers closed in on him, the sleeve of his armor smoking from the acid that managed to hit it.

The nano soldier wasted no time taking out the creatures before running over to check on the biotic. "You good?" he asked over the gunfire.

Kaidan worked fast, quickly detaching the sleeve of his hard suit and tossing it aside as the acid finished burning through it. The sleeve of his under suit had been slightly eaten through and showed blistering skin underneath. "I'll be alright." he said applying medigel before firing a throw attack that sent five Creepers crashing into the side of a building.

With a nod, Jason jumped back into the fight. Wrapping a colonist in a headlock before pushing a pressure point to put them out.

The fight seemed to last for hours, when in actuality it was only a few minutes. The bodies of dozens of Creepers lay scattered across the settlement, their green blood painting the walls and ground everywhere.

Jason helped move the last colonist into a secure building and sealed it shut. "There, that should hold them until this is all sorted out."he said looking around.

His team was tired, some injured. Ash was tending to Kaidan's burns from earlier. Wrex's armor was melted in a few places, but being a Krogan allowed him to heal very quickly. Tali got lucky and didn't find any suit tears or punctures from the fight and was grateful.

Once finished making sure the area was secure, the Post-Human heard shuffling. The team was up and ready to fight when they saw Fai Dan step out from between two buildings. Struggling with each step as though he were fighting an unseen force.

"You...You can't fight it..." he forced out through gritted teeth. "Not...not forever...it gets inside...takes control...can't fight it." he continued moving forward. "It...want's me to stop you..." he drew a pistol from his belt and aimed at them. "But...I won't!" he fought, forcing the pistol's aim away from them and toward his own head.

Jason raised his Hammer.

"I...WON'T!" Fai Dan shouted pressing the barrel to his temple.

A gunshot went off.

Fai Dan's pistol fell to the ground with a hole in it. The colony leader was quickly grabbed by his shoulders as he began to struggle. "Fai Dan, fight it. I need to know what's doing this. Where is it hidden?" asked Jason hoping to get the information before it was too late.

"Can't...Can't stop it...for long..." he ground out. "Under...AH!" he shouted clenching his eyes and teeth shut. "...under...FREIGHTER!" he screamed while clawing at the nano soldier's arms.

Jason nodded before pushing a point on his neck and knocking him out cold. "Thank you." he said gently laying the man down. "We need to stop this thing." he said to the others seriously.

"I'll stay with Kaidan and wait for the Skipper to get back." said Ashley keeping her assault rifle at the ready.

 **"Alright, but if things get too hot get yourselves somewhere safe."** said Jason getting a nod from the Gunnery Chief as he, Tali and Wrex made their way over to the large freighter in the center of the colony.

Activating the crane nearby, the freighter was lifted into the air revealing a concrete ramp that lead down deeper into the planet. The trio all pulled out shotguns and began to descend into the tunnels below, ready to face what was at the bottom.

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: As previously stated, this is feeling like a big update day for me. So this here will be only the first!_**


	32. Chapter 31

_**A/N: And onto the second update of the day!**_

 ** _X_**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Feros - Tunnels Beneath Colony**

 **August 4, 2183 - 16:40 hours**

Everything was silent, save for the sounds of their footsteps as they entered the tunnel system under the colony.

Jason's HUD kept scanning the long corridors for any hostiles that may jump out at them. Wrex and Tali on his six with their shotguns ready for anything that might come their way. After what happened on the surface with the Creepers and the brainwashed colonists they weren't taking any chances.

The team entered through an archway that lead into a large atrium, "Alright," said Tali, "We just have to find what is controlling the colonists and make sure it...it..." the team looked up at the center of the large room where the bulbous form of the Thorian hung over a pit by large roots that connected to the walls.

"...Keelah..." said the Quarian in shock.

"That...is the ugliest fucking weed I've ever seen." said Jason as they drew closer.

As if triggered by their approach, the Thorian began to convulse. It's 'mouth' making loud gurgling noises before it opened wide. Spewing out a naked, green skinned Asari on to the ground before it.

The Asari stood and glared at them, "Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose. I speak for the Old Growth, as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe!" the clone commanded.

"What did you give to Saren? What was he after?" asked Jason gripping his shotgun a little tighter.

"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in the Long Cycle. Trades were made." said the clone. "The cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies! It will listen no more!"

"Release your control on the colonists while you can. Or I'll make sure you won't see the next 'cycle'." the nano soldier threatened as the three of them readied weapons.

"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short, but have gone on too long." said the clone.

"So has yours." the nano soldier's shotgun registered and the green Asari flew back off the edge of the pit with a gaping hole in her chest. The Thorian gave a shrieking roar as several Creepers began coming out of holes in the walls.

Jason looked around the atrium and saw the five large roots that were holding the sentient plant in place. **"Structural Weakness Detected."** said SECOND marking the four roots on his HUD. "The roots are a weakness! Cutting them should kill this thing!" he shouted after blowing three Creepers away with his shotgun.

"Then we better get to it then!" Wrex roared before charging into the oncoming horde, bowling over the creatures and making a path that Jason and Tali could follow through.

They entered the next room and saw the first root right in front of them. "Cover me!" Jason shouted taking out his bow and drawing an explosive arrow. Tali and Wrex blasted the Creepers that tried to follow them with their shotguns while the Post-Human launched the arrow into the base of the large root.

The explosive went off blowing the root to shreds and setting fire to the remains. The Thorian roared in agony as it lost one of its main supports.

At the entrance to the room, Wrex and Tali were being pushed back as the number of Creepers kept climbing. Jason spun around, drawing a recently tested eezo arrow and firing it at the oncoming creatures. The arrow detonated and snagged several Creepers in the gravity well it created while giving the Quarian and Krogan time to fall back and let their weapons vent.

"We can't hold out forever. There's too many of them." said Tali as her shotgun finished venting.

A biotic shockwave was launched into the room forcing the squad to leap into cover. Another Asari clone walked into the room covered in mass energy with another wave of Creepers gathering behind her.

"Didn't I kill you." said Jason drawing a regular arrow and letting it fly.

The bolt shot through the barrier around the clone and pierced her skull, bursting out the back of her and dropping her to the floor dead. The Creepers shuffled over her corpse and began to close in on them. "You got a plan?" asked Wrex blowing a Creeper apart with his Claymore.

"Fall back to the next root! It's on the floor above us!" ordered Jason swapping his bow for his AR and laying into the crowd shuffling toward them. The squad fell back to the stairs and began to make their way up to the next level where a group of Creepers had been waiting for them.

Tali threw a tech mine and blew the creatures in several directions giving them an opening to move forward. They barely made it through the next doorway when a throw attack slammed into Jason sending him crashing into a wall.

Another Asari clone stepped out covered in energy, her barrier absorbing the blasts from Wrex and Tali's weapons as the nano soldier got back to his feet. **"Maximum Armor."** he drew his knife and charged forward.

The clone launched a warp attack at him that was absorbed by the suit as he got close and drove the blade up through her jaw and into her head. "Getting real tired of killing this bitch over and over." he muttered scooping his rifle back up and reloading it.

Carving a path through a small crowd of Creepers, the squad located the second root and began shooting at it. Each blast blowing chunks of flesh off of it while the Thorian screamed in pain. One final blast from Wrex's Claymore severed the route completely causing the sentient plant to dip farther into the pit it hung over.

"Just two more, keep it up!" Jason called out kicking a Creeper in the chest sending it into a nearby wall.

 _"Maverick? It's Shepard, where the hell are you guys?"_ exclaimed Jane over the comm.

"Fighting a big ass plant underneath the colony. Something called the Thorian, it took control of the colonists and had them attack us with these zombie-like creatures." said Jason as they kept pushing through the resistance around them.

 _"We know, Exogeni was experimenting with the Thorian on the colonists. We just got back to the colony, we're heading your way hold on."_ said the Commander cutting the link.

Tali killed another Creeper before everything fell silent. "They stopped..." she said looking around.

Jason scanned the place with his visor and couldn't locate any more hostiles. "Something's not right. Keep your guard up." he said as they moved on to the next room. The third root was there unprotected as they walked in.

"This is too easy..." said the Post-Human searching high and low.

"Maybe the weed desided to give up." commented Wrex.

 **"Biotic Discharge Detected."** Jason looked toward the other side of the room and saw mass energy gathering quickly. "GET DOWN!" he shouted as they leaped into cover, just barely missing the large shockwave that had been fired at them.

Getting to his feet, Jason raised his weapon as an Asari clone came out of the next door way. Then another. And another.

The three green Asari stood leering at them from across the room with energy dancing across their nude forms. "You will not kill the Old Growth." they spoke at the same time. "It would be easier cutting a piece of the sky. You will fail! And this is where you will die!" All three clones fired warps making the team get back into cover.

"Ideas?" asked Tali blind-firing her shotgun over her cover.

Jason peered over and tagged the three clones and the root as he thought of something. **"Tactical Options Available."** He took out three disc grenades and threw them across the room so that they attached to the root where they sank into the soft flesh.

He then redrew his bow and knocked an explosive arrow. "Get their attention and draw them in closer." he said to the others who nodded. Wrex got up and fired a carnage shot that deflected off one of the clones' barriers. All three of them kept throwing various biotic attacks as they moved forward.

Waiting until the right moment, Jason stood up and shot the arrow right into the same spot where the grenades had attached to the root. "HEADS DOWN!" he shouted.

The explosion rocked the room. Completely obliterating the root at the source and catching the clones as well. Jason activated his armor mode and covered Tali as the whole room shook from the blast.

When the dust settled almost nothing remained of the root, and only one of the clones was in one piece and was twitching on the ground with severe burns covering most over her body. Wrex stomped up to the green Asari and slammed his large foot down on her head, popping it like a zit and splattering dark green blood across the floor. "Three down, one to go." he said racking his shotgun.

The team moved through the rest of the corridor and found the last root in a room behind a crumbling wall. Roughly 20 Creepers stood around it and surged at them like a tidal wave of death.

Wrex launched a throw attack that sent the first half of the creatures crashing back into the rest, knocking them all to the ground giving them the time to shoot them as they tried to get back up. Their guns overheated forcing them to swap weapons. The combined fire of a Hammer and two Predator pistols quickly put down the remaining Creepers giving them a straight shot at the root.

All three of them primed grenades and threw them at the base of the root. The three explosions ripped into it, weakening the support as it began to stretch too far. The remaining pieces of flesh snapped like overexerted cables before coming undone completely.

X

In the center of the room, the Thoran roared in both pain and fear as it lost another support. The final root held firm in keeping the plant's bulk suspended, but the weight proved too much for the for the old Prothean structure the root had been attached to as it started to crack and splinter.

With one last crunch, the root burst from the wall. The ancient creature could only shriek as its smaller roots also snapped and it fell into the pit below.

X

Jason peered over the edge watching the Thorian fall to its doom. "Good riddance." he said before joining the others as they began making their way back to the bottom level.

When they reached the bottom, they saw a red pod on the far wall begin to shake before splitting open. A purple skinned Asari wearing a commando uniform with the same facial markings as the clones fell to the floor on her hands and knees groaning.

She looked around and realization came to her eyes. "I...I'm free? I'M FREE!" she shouted in elation. She looked at the squad as they approached her, "I...thank you for saving me. I've been trapped here for Goddess knows how long."

Before Jason could speak, Jane, Liara and Garrus stormed the room weapons ready. Their armor stained white and green from the fighting they had done before. After looking around a moment, they lowered their weapons and approached the other team.

"The Thorian?" asked Jane.

Jason motioned toward the pit with his head, "Dead." he motioned to the Asari next, "She was being held captive by it. Saren managed to get something from it while he was here. Something involving 'those who are gone'. My best guess is he was here looking for information on the Protheans."

"My name is Shiala." said the Asari. "I serve... _served_ Matriarch Benezia. When she allied herself with Saren, so did I. I came to this world in search of the Thorian. Saren needed its knowledge. And he needed my biotic abilities to communicate with it." she explained.

"He offered me in trade. I was sacrificed to secure an alliance between Saren and the Thorian." said Shiala looking to the ground.

"Saren's pretty quick to betray his own people." said Shepard crossing her arms.

"He was quick to betray the Thorian, too. After he had what he wanted, he ordered the Geth to destroy all evidence of its existence." said Shiala.

"Covering his tracks so we can't follow." said Jason.

Shiala nodded, "Saren knows you are looking for the Conduit. He knows you are following his steps. He attacked the Thorian so you could not gain the Cipher."

"What is this 'Cipher'? Why would Saren need it?" asked Liara with her curiosity peaked.

"The Prothean beacon on Eden Prime gave you visions, Commander Shepard. But they are unclear, confusing. This is because they were meant for a Prothean mind." explained the Asari. "To truly comprehend them, you must think like a Prothean. You must understand their culture, their history, their very existence."

"The Thorian was here long before the Protheans built this city. It watched and studied them. When they died, it consumed them. They became part of it." she continued.

"That's what that clone of you meant." said Jason. "The Thorian gave Saren the ability to think like a Prothean, to understand the beacon better to help locate the Conduit."

"The Cipher is the very essence of being a Prothean. It cannot be described or explained. It would be like trying to describe color to a creature without eyes." explained Shiala. "To understand it, you must have access to endemic ancestral memory. A viewpoint spanning thousands of Prothean generations."

"I sensed this ancestral memory, the Cipher, when I melded with the Thorian. Our identities merged, our minds intertwined. Such knowledge cannot be taught, it simply exists."

"I need that knowledge so we can stop Saren." said Jane.

"There is a way. I can transfer the knowledge from my mind to yours, as I did with Saren." said Shiala.

The Commander looked at her team, each of them giving her a look of unease. Wondering what such a thing could do to her. She settled on Jason who looked back through his visor. "You and I are partners in this. Any thoughts?"

Jason rolled his shoulders, "It's your mind Shepard, It's your choice. If you think it can help us stop Saren, then I'm all for it. Just be careful." he said honestly.

Jane looked back at Shiala and nodded. "Try to relax, Commander. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell. Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another." said the Asari approaching her. "Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live. Each emotion must mark another's spirit."

Shiala now stood in front of the Commander, "We are all connected. Every living being united in a single, glorious existence. Open yourself to the universe, Commander." her eyes turned pitch black. "Embrace Eternity!"

The two stood completely still, Shepard's face twitched every now and again. Sweat breaking out along her brow as whatever she was seeing came through the link. The team watched with baited breath for something to happen.

Jason looked on as Jane lived through her vision with a bit more clarity thanks to the Cipher being transferred to her. Wondering if her mind could truly take what she was seeing.

After another minute they broke apart with a gasp. Jane stumbled back forcing Jason to catch her before she fell over. "Shepard! You alright?" he asked supporting her.

"Y-Yeah...just a really bad headache." she groaned holding her head.

"I have given you the Cipher, just as it was given to Saren." said Shiala. "The ancestral memories of the Protheans are a part of you now.

"A knowledge bond can be very traumatic. Are you all right, Commander?" asked Liara.

Jane got back to her feet shaking a little, "I saw...something. It still didn't make much sense." she said rubbing her temples again.

"You have been given a great gift; the experience of an entire people. It will take time for your mind to process and adjust to this information." explained Shiala. "I am sorry if you have suffered, but there was no other way. You needed the Cipher. In time, it will help you understand the vision from the beacon."

Shepard when to say something, but her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed into Jason's arms. "Commander!" Garrus shouted as they all moved in.

Scooping her up, Jason placed Jane in his friend's arms. "Take her back to the _Normandy_ and have Chakwas look her over. Just to be safe." Garrus nodded as he and Liara left with the unconscious Commander.

He turned to Shiala, "Now that you're free. You could do good by this colony after everything that has happened." he said seriously.

Shiala nodded, "I was about to ask you about that. I will stay with the colonists and help them wherever I can. I played a big roll in their suffering, and I would like to make amends." she said with honestly in her voice.

Jason turned and headed for the exit with Wrex and Tali behind him, "Don't waste this chance Shiala." he said as they headed back to the colony.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **August 6, 2183 - 13:10 hours**

The crew had spent two days on Feros helping the colonists get back on their feet after everything that had happened. Exogeni admitted to what they had done and was doing everything in their power to fix the mistakes they had made. With Shiala assisting in every capacity possible.

At the moment the ship was in the process of leaving the Feros docking bay while the team had gathered in the briefing room.

Jane stood at the front with Jason next to her. She stayed in the medbay for a whole day so that Chakwas could make sure that she had a clean bill of health before allowing her to leave. Receiving the Cipher hit her almost as hard as the beacon had, and everyone wanted to take precautions so that nothing happened to the Commander.

"You doing alright Shepard?" asked Jason setting his helmet on a nearby terminal after locking the door to the room.

Jane looked a little paler than normal, dark circles under her eyes as she leaned against the terminal next to him. "Just a rough night sleep last night. I'm okay." she said not convincing anyone in the room.

"If I may Commander." said Liara. "With the Cipher combined with the fragments from the Prothean beacon, I might be able to make better sense of what you are seeing."

"You want to meld with me again." said Jane receiving a nod. "Alright. Let's do it." she said stepping into the center of the room, being joined quickly by Liara.

"Relax, Commander. Embrace Eternity!" said Liara as her eyes went black pulling them both in.

The meld went by a lot quicker than it had the first time as both women came back to the conscious world. "The...images are much clearer than before. The Cipher's doing most likely. But the vision is still incomplete. To make any real sense of it we must find the other half." said Liara.

Shepard wiped the sweat from her forehead and sat down in an empty seat. "Then we'll keep searching. And hopefully we'll find the rest of the beacon before Saren does." she looked at the team, "We're all done here everyone, good work on Feros. Dismissed."

The team began to file out of the room when Joker came on the intercom, _"I have the Council on vid call you two. Want me to patch them through?"_

Jason looked at Jane and saw her slumped in her seat trying to stay awake. "Tell them we'll call them back Joker. The Commander's not feeling well." he said walking over to her.

 _"Gotcha, sending it to voicemail."_ replied the helmsman.

The nano soldier knelt down next to the Commander, "Jane? Are you okay? And don't bullshit me either."

Jane smiled weakly, "When I said I got a rough nights sleep...I meant I didn't get any at all. This damn vision makes it hard to even get a few minutes."

"Have you talked to Chakwas? Sleep aids could help you." said Jason a little concerned for her well being.

"Tried. Guess the Protheans built their beacons to overcome medication as well when they designed them." said Jane leaning back in the chair she was in. "Not like I can sleep anyway. I've got rounds for the next few hours."

She gave a slight 'eep' as she was scooped up in a pair of large arms. Jason slipped his helmet back on before holding her bridal style and heading for the door. "I got your shift. You need sleep before you pass out on the galaxy map." he said leaving the briefing room and heading toward the crew deck. Ignoring the odd stares that the two were receiving.

"You don't have to do that." she said, feeling warm and comfortable in the Post-Human's arms.

"We're partners Jane. We look out for each other. And I intend to make sure you're ready for when we start kicking ass again." Jason replied.

"What about the crew and keeping a low profile?" asked Shepard as her eyes started to grow heavy.

"I'll let you know when I give a shit what they think. And besides, they still haven't figured out who I really am." he whispered to her as they approached her quarters. Opening the door he noticed that she had fallen asleep in his arms.

He chuckled as he walked inside and gently laid her down on the bed. Pulling the covers over her before heading back to the door. Pausing at the door, he looked over his shoulder at the red head sleeping peacefully behind him. "Goodnight Jane." he whispered into the room before leaving the room.

Missing the small smile that appeared on the woman's lips.

 ** _X_**

 ** _A/N: What better way to end a mission than a bit of OC/Shepard romance on the side. Not quite a slow burn, but I think it's progressing as well as any romance option in the ME series._**

 ** _Keep the reviews coming, the next update will arrive before you know it!_**


	33. Chapter 32

_**A/N: Welcome back! As expected, I got a new chapter prepared and ready to go!**_

 _ **X**_

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Gym**

 **August 10, 2183 - 05:01 hours**

Jason walked into the ship's gym that was located on the cargo deck wearing black under armor and basketball shorts. He had went back to his exercise regiment not long after he let the squad know about his identity and assumed control as a new 'Contractor'. Since then he went to the gym at roughly 5 o'clock every morning for about an hour.

Things aboard the _Normandy_ had been going smoothly since the mission on Feros. As the crew waited for their next lead on Saren they had received several other missions depending on what sector they found themselves in.

From taking down a group of biotic cultists, to putting down the remaining Thorian Creepers that Exogeni had in hiding in another system. They had even found Wrex's family armor being held by a Turian collector that had stolen it.

All in all it was good so far. But Jason knew that it was only a matter of time before they went to either Noveria or Virmire. But he was more than ready to make sure things didn't fall apart in either mission.

Heading over to the bench press in the corner of the room. The nano soldier put multiple weights on either end of the bar before laying down on the bench and started doing reps.

The handful of crew men that had been in the room at the time watched in awe as the private contractor lifted over 400 lbs. of weight repeatedly as though he were moving an empty cardboard box.

When he reached 100 reps, Jason set the bar back down before hitting the floor and started doing push ups. Reaching 150 he flipped over and did the same number of crunches before moving over to the heavy bag and started a regiment of kicks and punches.

The three female crewmen that were in the room gaped at the man. Eyes drifting over the muscles that were exposed by the tight under armor he wore as sweat poured down his face and neck.

It was then Jane and Ashley walked into the gym dressed for their own workout when they saw Jason at the heavy bag. "Oh...wow..." Ash said looking the Post-Human over. "I don't know if it's the nanites in his blood or if it's natural talent but it's working for him." she whispered to the Commander.

Jane's eyes were glued to the nano soldier, swallowing hard as she saw every muscle tense with each punch and kick he threw at the heavy bag.

Jason's movements started getting faster, each hit echoing through the room like a thunder clap with each strike. One final punch snapped the chain holding the heavy bag in place and sending it across the room into the far wall with a loud _'clang!'_.

Everyone's mouths fell open stunned. Jason took a few deep breaths before walking over to the rack against the far wall, picking up a new heavy bag and putting it back where the previous one had been before going back to punching and kicking again.

Ashley shook her head before looking at Shepard who hadn't moved, or blinked, the whole time. "Skipper? Hey Commander you still in there?" she asked waving her hand in front of the red head's face snapping her out of it.

"Yeah...uh. I'm still here." she said blinking a few times.

The Gunnery Chief grinned, "Does the 'brave Commander' have a little crush?" she teased making the other woman blush a little.

"Watch it Chief, chain of command still holds even during down time." said Jane stiffly while trying to control her blood pressure.

Ash shrugged, "I'm just saying. I mean look at him." she looked at the Post-Human again. "Who wouldn't want that bod within close proximity 24/7? Hell _I_ wouldn't mind having it." she said licking her lips.

Jane eyes narrowed as a strange emotion over came her. Lately her emotions had been all over the place when she was close to Jason. The only time they weren't was when they were on a mission together. By that point it was all business; but the moment they got back on the ship that went right out the window and she felt like a girl in high school again.

Jealousy had been one of the emotions she hadn't had the thrill of having before. And she wasn't liking it now.

"Commander, Chief." both women looked up and saw Jason approaching them, wiping the sweat from his head with a towel before snapping a salute to both of them to keep his cover.

"Harlow." both said at the same time. "Sticking to your regiment?" asked Jane. She looked at the damaged heavy bag laying against the far wall, "And apparently destroying property." she said not being serious.

Jason shrugged, "Sorry, got a bit carried away. I'll cover the damages the first chance I get. But without people to spar with I have to settle for what I have at the moment." he said wrapping the towel around his neck.

Jane crossed her arms under her breasts, "You wanna spar? How about sparring against me?"

Everyone shot her a look. Jason couldn't help but look the Commander up and down. Wearing a pair of tight dark-blue bike shorts and matching sports bra with the N7 logo on the right breast. Her hair done up in a ponytail making her very hard _not_ to look at.

"...Alright Commander. Let's get to it." he said tossing the towel aside and heading toward the boxing ring that was set up in the far corner of the gym.

Shepard looked a little stunned, "That's it? Your not going to go off on some weird speech about not fighting women?"

Jason paused and looked back at her, "Shepard, I've had Asari attempting to beat me to death with biotics and several female mercs trying to blow my head off. I'm pretty damn sure I have nothing to say on that particular matter."

Ashley raised an eyebrow, "He's made a good point there, Skipper. Bout damn time a man realized us girls can kick serious ass."

The two Spectres climbed into the ring and stretched a bit before they began to circle one another like lions in a cage. "You wanna start, Shepard?" asked Jason cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, after you. I insist." said Jane grinning feraly.

They circled one another for another few minutes, both getting a read on each other and trying to find a weakness in defenses. After one last lap around the ring the two sprung at each other.

Jane swung a wide roundhouse kick aimed for the nano soldier's head which was blocked by a wide forearm. Jason struck back with a right cross and uppercut combo that the Commander ducked and dodged around before launching a straight jab that Jason was barely able to lean back from.

The Post-Human brought his knee up to strike the red head in the stomach only for Jane to twist out of the way using her natural flexibility. She spun around and managed to slam her elbow into Jason's ribs catching him by surprise and making him take a step back.

Jason grinned, "You got first strike. But I think I got this won." he said getting ready again.

"So you say. Just remember, strength and power can only get you so far." replied Jane grinning just as much.

"You forgot stealth." without warning he lept into the air and swung his right foot around. Jane had just a brief second to duck under the attack before her head was knocked off from the powerful foot.

When she got back up she found her arm in his grasp before it was twisted behind her back. "Give up?" he asked in her ear making her fight a shiver.

"Not a chance." she said twisting in an unexpected way and getting out of the hold and delivering several rapid punches to his solar plexus before doing a double drop kick that knocked the nano soldier back two steps.

Jason was naturally surprised. Jane was fast, agile and very _flexible_. He shook his head, _'Head. Out. Of. Gutter. Kick her ass.'_ he chanted mentally as they went back to trading punches and kicks back and forth.

The sparring match had started to gather a lot of attention. A crowd had started to gather around the ring wanting to see the Contractor standing toe to toe with the Commander. The ground team was in the crowd wondering which of the two Spectres would come out victorious.

"Anyone seen Maverick? I'm sure he would get a kick out of watching his fellow Spectre fight." said Engineer Adams passing bets with a few other crewmen.

"Who knows, the guys a ghost 80% of the time. He could be here already and we just don't know it." said Garrus covering for his friend as they all continued to watch the match.

Jane stumbled back when a right cross managed to nick her chin. Her tongue snaked out and licked the little bit of blood that had leaked out before grinning again. Jason brought his arms up and was barely able to block the flurry of punches aimed for his head and neck.

Jason caught her right fist, spinning around and tossing the Commander over his shoulder. But the red head bent at the right moment and landed back on her feet and swinging her left foot out in a haymaker.

The nano soldier blocked the kick and swung out his own leg to trip Shepard only for her to leap over it and throw a wide punch that connected with the side of his head.

Recoiling, he came back with wild combo and managed to strike her in the chest and knocking her back. "Evenly matched?" Jason asked readying for another attack. Jane shook her head before going back at him.

Jason grabbed her around the middle and flipped her over his hip slamming her down on the mat. "Game over. Commander." he said smirking.

Jane smirked back before wrapping her legs around his waist and used the momentum to flip them over so that the Post-Human was on his back with her straddling his waist, right forearm against his throat and left fist cocked back to knock his lights out. "Now, it's game over." she said breathing a little heavy.

Everything was silent in the gym. The gather audience just stared as the two combatants kept their eyes locked on one another not truly knowing the compromising position they were now in.

For his part, Jason knew full well that he could keep fighting. But with so many people around he'd give away who he was. And to be honest...he kind of liked seeing her from this angle.

"Alright, fun's over everyone out." said Ashley ushering everyone out of the gym. When everyone was cleared out she gave one last look at the two Spectres as they got up. Casting a knowing grin in their direction as she went off to change.

"Well that was fun." said Jason wiping his face and head with a towel.

"You could have kept going couldn't you?" she asked Jane letting her hair down as they headed for the locker room.

"Yeah, but with so many people around I couldn't risk being exposed. If you want me to go all out Jane we're going to be somewhere private." said Jason stripping off his under armor and headed for the men's showers.

Shepard was about to reply when she got a good look at the man's back.

His whole upper body was a road map of carved muscle, his nano suit doing little for the imagination it seemed as she got an eyeful of her fellow Spectre's physic.

Jason could feel Jane's eyes burning into his back and couldn't help but smirk. "Something wrong, Commander?" he asked innocently while looking at her over his shoulder.

Jane quickly looked away and cleared her through, "I was...just curious about how you don't have any scars. With everything you've been through..." she trailed off, effectively covering her tracks while at the same time asking something that had been on her mind.

"The nano suit protects from a lot of damage and can regenerate quickly like my body can. I didn't walk away from every firefight without a scratch, but scarring doesn't come to me like it used to." the nano soldier explained.

"You remember where you got each one?" she asked a little shocked.

"That's one of the downsides to having a mind that can work like a computer. I have a slight photographic memory." Jason replied turning to face her "Like I said before, Shepard, victory costs. Some more than others. And at times it's worth paying." with one last smile he headed for the showers.

Jane watched him go and couldn't keep her mind from wandering back to what she had seen and heard from her fellow Spectre.

Jason finished undressing and stepped into the shower stall, turning the cold dial all the way on and letting the water wash over him. _"That woman's gonna kill me."_ he said trying to fight down his arousal.

X

With the mission going so well, the ground team had agreed on having a movie night once a week in the crews rec room if they were unable to have shore leave. And tonight was that night.

Jason walked into the room wearing his suit since he had just gotten off his rounds. Garrus, Tali and Kaidan were already there waiting as he flopped down on the couch in front of the large view screen. "Where's everyone else?" he asked turning off his voice filter since they were the only ones in the room.

"On their way. The Commander's trying one last time to get Wrex to come." said Kaidan after making sure the screen was fully hooked up.

"I bet 20 creds that he doesn't leave the cargo hold." said Garrus.

"I'll take that bet." said Jason leaning back in his seat as they waited for the others.

15 minutes later Jane walked in with Ashley, Liara, Joker and surprisingly Wrex. Garrus grumbled and sent 20 credits to Jason's omni-tool before they all sat about the room and got comfortable. "So what the hell are we suppose to be watching?" asked the Krogan leaning back in the easy chair by the couch.

"Thought we'd let our resident dimension jumper decide tonight." said Jane looking at Jason as he sealed the door to the room and pulled his helmet off.

"Really? Wouldn't the movies I consider good be old classics to you guys?" he asked looking to each of them.

"Yeah, weren't vids in black and white back where you're from?" asked the pilot making the vigilante glare at him a bit. Telling Joker like he told the others may have seemed like a bad idea to some. But the pilot knew how to keep a secret when the chips where down. And Jason knew he could trust him like he did the others.

"Watch it gimpy. Or I'll break your legs off and beat you with them." said Jason.

Joker held up his hands, "Easy there _grandpa_. Wouldn't want you to have a heart attack or anything from all the excitement."

"Enough you two." said Jane making Joker sit in a chair next to the couch. "We're suppose to be relaxing right now." Both men raised their hands in surrender and back off.

"Come on Jason, you gotta have some tastes. Spirits, even the music you listen too from over a hundred years ago isn't that bad." said Garrus.

Jason rolled his eyes, "Christ, you turn a Turian into a Linkin Park fan and all of a sudden everyone thinks you know good entertainment." He stood up and pulled out his omni-tool as he started scrolling through vid listings. "Alright," he looked at each person in the room and thought about what would be a good choice for everyone.

He smirked, instead of going with one vid he went with two of his old favorites as he set it all up and started the first. "What vid is this?" asked Jane as he sat down on the couch next to her.

"It's an action fic about a retired hitman. I think you guys will like it." he said as John Wick started playing.

Throughout the movie the whole team was enraptured. Granted it had what many in this universe would consider 'primitive'. But the storyline alone and the way the main character who had once been one of the top hitmen in the world became a quiet, domestic person before being burled back into his old life is what got them.

By the end of the vid, needless to say, the team was impressed. "Gotta say, the classics do hold some merit." said Ashley in awe.

"All that because those damn punks killed his dog." , said Garrus, clicking his mandibles, "Then again...I wouldn't have been so controlled had it been one last gift from my mate."

"I liked the car." said Joker getting odd looks. "What? It looked awesome. And I bet it had leather seats..." he had a far off look in his eyes. "If only the _Normandy_ had leather seats, then everything would be perfect."

Jane looked at Jason, "That one was better than expected, got any other ones?." she asked with the others nodded in agreement. Jason smirked as he started the next vid he had in mind and they all settled back to watch.

X

Less than an hour later the whole team was laughing so hard they couldn't breathe.

"He...He broke his wrist...punching that guy in the nuts!" Joker exclaimed, holding his ribs to avoid any of them breaking.

Wrex's laugh bellowed throughout the room, "Killing a man with a Zamboni...gotta remember that one for the future." he said wiping at his eyes.

Even Tali couldn't help but laugh hard with everyone else, "It's not Fleet and Flotilla, but it was certainly a good love story as well." she said when things finally calmed down as the movie came to an end.

Yes, it would seem Deadpool was an instant favorite among the crew.

Jason leaned back and felt like he was back home again, hanging out with friends. It was a moral boost that he had been in short supply of for a while now.

A slight weight on his shoulder drew his attention. Shepard leaned into him and was resting her head on his shoulder. Smiling, he reached his arm back behind the couch to give her better room as she curled in a little more.

He had no idea what was going on between the two of them, but he really didn't mind whatever it was. And he liked where things were going even if neither knew how things were going to turn out.

For now they'd just enjoy the moment and see what happens.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **August 11, 2183 - 12:38 hours**

"Noveria?" asked Jane as she and Jason stood in the comm room speaking to the three Councilors.

"Yes, it appears that Matriarch Benezia had been spotted checking into the main port with an armed escort and several large crates." said Tevos. "Nhilus has also been able to uncover several transactions between Saren and a company called Binary Helix that operates out of Noveria."

"Can we assume that the local authorities are aware of her partnership with Saren and the acts he has committed thus far?" asked Jason already knowing the answer.

"Unfortunately, no." said Valern. "Noveria is a highly business and corporate based world. Anything and everything they do is for the sake of earning credits quickly and efficiently. It is also where the most white collar crimes can take place."

"Since Saren is a shareholder with Binary Helix he could have just as easily set it up so that Benezia would be considered someone speaking on his behalf. Thus giving her access to a number of secure locations and a small level of immunity." said Sparatus.

"Then it's safe to say that Noveria is our next stop. Maybe Benezia will have the answers we're looking for on Saren and what the Conduit could be." said Jane.

Jason nodded in agreement, "We'll get it done, Councilors. But you may want to send our credentials ahead of time. If Noveria is all about regulations as you say, then an unexpected arrival could put the locals on high alert. Having mass panic in a place like that wouldn't bode well for a lot of people."

"Understandable, Maverick." said Tevos nodding. "We'll make sure that everything is in place long before you arrive. Good luck, both of you." The holograms faded soon after.

"Joker, set a course for Noveria. We got a new lead." said Jane as they headed out of the room.

"Aye, aye Commander." the helmsman replied.

Jane looked at her partner, "With any luck we can get some answers to what's going on." she said as they headed for the CIC.

"And maybe stop whatever Saren's plans are. But considering what we've faced so far, I think we should be prepared for whatever could be waiting for us when we arrive." replied Jason.

Knowing what they were facing, he knew they had to be.

The Commander nodded in agreement before bringing something up that should have been before. "Jason, I know things between you and Liara are still a little strained after she melded with you. But when she hears that her mother is on Noveria and could end up being a threat, she will need us to be there for support if anything happens."

Thinking over her words carefully, the Post-Human sighed. "Yeah, you're right." he turned and made his way up to the crew deck and the medbay where the young Asari had set up her personal quarters in the small storage space in the back.

Approaching the door, Jason gently knocked and waited for a response.

"Come in." Liara called from inside. The door sliding open and the nano soldier entering to see the young doctor working at her private terminal.

When she turned around to address who had entered, she froze in surprise to see Jason standing there. "Oh! I...I wasn't expecting you." she said, sounding nervous.

With the door closed behind him, the nano soldier removed his helmet and set it on the desk closest to him. "I think it's past due that we have a talk, Liara." he said calmly.

Liara swallowed and gave a soft nod. "Yes, I suppose we do..." she looked up at him, "Are you...do you hate me, for what happened?"

Jason shook his head, "No. I know that what happened was an accident. You were only trying to help me. And your reaction when you broke the meld wasn't unexpected, everything you saw and learning of my origins would have freaked anyone out. I was angry, at first and for a while, but when everything settled and I came clean to everyone it didn't feel like that big of a deal. I was just thrown off because I was originally planning on telling you guys on my own terms. What happened between you and me kind of catapulted all that ahead of time."

The Asari nodded, "I can understand all that and more. Sadly, I am still considered a child by my people's standards. Even though I am a professional in my field, there are still things I am learning being out on my own. Goddess...I had the Commander thinking I wanted to experiment on her given her connection to the Protheans." she said while covering her face in embarrassment.

Chuckling, Jason stepped forward and knelt in front of Liara. "All's forgiven, Li. Just next time, be sure that I'm awake before rummaging through my head. We don't want you getting lost in there."

Liara smiled gratefully, "Thank you, Jason. And believe me, I won't be going through your head anytime soon." the two of them shared another laugh before parting ways. The nano soldier happy that they worked things out in the end and kept their relatively new friendship in tact.

Now all he had to do what make sure that a certain Matriarch didn't meet an untimely end as well.

Bringing up his omni-tool, Jason started going through everything he had SECOND working on since they left Feros. It was time to prepare one of his many backup plans.

 _ **X**_

 _ **A/N: A few more changes, and Jason and Liara were able to bury the hatchet. Noveria is coming fast, and the nano soldier has several plans for the coming future. Things are going to get interesting very quickly.**_

 _ **New update coming soon folks!**_


	34. Chapter 33

**A/N: With the recent success of my new Venom story, you can't honestly think I would forget this big gem here did you?  
X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Noveria Space Port**

 **August 13, 2183 - 13:00 hours**

Noveria is said to be one of the business capitals in this sector of the traverse. Some of the biggest businesses have offices set up on the partially frozen planet, and with them a lot of powerful and influential people.

However to Jason, it was a place full of stingy money grubbing assholes who only looked out for themselves and no one else. Where white-collar crime is more common than pick pocketing. And of course, where the corrupt are able to run free without consequence.

All of this ran through the Spectre's head as he, Jane, Garrus and Liara stepped out of the _Normandy_ 's airlock and into the cold air of the large spaceport. "Anyone else feel a chill?" asked Garrus.

"Nope." said Jason as they walked. Tagging several guards, security cameras and stationary turrets that were setup around the large docking area.

"The nano suit regulates your body temperature, doesn't it?" asked Jane as she turned up the internal temperature of her own armor.

"It keeps the temperature at a stable 68 degrees no matter where I am. It helps when the external climate is too extreme for the body to take without it." Jason explained as they were approached by a group of three guards.

"Halt! State your names and reason for being here." demanded the blonde woman leading the group.

"We're here on Council business. Our credentials should have been sent prior to our arrival." said Jane.

"There were no credentials sent to us. Therefore this is an unscheduled arrival. I'm going to have to ask you to surrender your weapons and come with us." said the woman snarkly as her men went to approach them.

The team drew their weapons and aimed at the guards. "Your interfering with Spectre business. Doing so gives us the right to use whatever means necessary to ensure our job is completed." said Jason as he flicked the safety off on his Hammer. "I suggest you and your men stand down, or the cleaning crew will be scooping your brains off of the ground."

Just before anything could be done, an Asian woman in armor fast walked toward them. "Sergeant Sterling stand down! Their credentials arrived yesterday, they are Council Spectres and are granted passage."

The guards lowered the weapons and the woman turned to them. "Commander Shepard, Maverick. Captain Matsuo, I am head of security detail here on Noveria. I apologize for the inconvenience. As you can see there are regulations set up for all kinds of arrivals." said the Captain.

"It would only have gotten bad if they tried to apprehend us for no reason." said Jane putting her pistol away.

"Parasini-san will meet you and your team at the security check point ahead. I hope the rest of your visit will be less confrontational." said Matsuo giving them a slight bow.

"Better behave yourselves." said Sterling snidly.

"Safety's still off Sergeant." said Jason darkly as they walked past the guards and toward the security checkpoint. "Not even ten minutes here and I already want to break someone in half." said the nano soldier putting his rifle away.

"Just try to bare it. We can't just go into a place like this guns blazing, there could be too much backlash from using force." said Jane as they were scanned into the checkpoint.

Reaching the front desk, a woman in a dark red dress approached them from the opposite "I am Gianna Parasini, assistant to Administrator Anoleis. We apologize for the incident in the docking bay." she introduced. "One of my duties is orientation of all new arrivals. Did any of you have questions?"

"Has anyone unusual passed through here recently?" asked Jason.

"Unusual? An Asari Matriarch passed through a few days ago. Lady Benezia." said Gianna.

"Benezia is here?" asked Liara surprised, even though she had been given the briefing that her mother was there on Saren's behalf.

"Yes, she passed through here a few days ago with an armed escort and several crates to be delivered to Peak 15. A research facility that is located up in the mountains. To the best of my knowledge she is still there." said Gianna.

"Can you tell us how we can get there?" asked Jane.

"You'll need to ask Administrator Anoleis for clearance to leave this port." replied the woman.

Jason tuned the conversation out, bringing up several read outs on his HUD. "SECOND, have you located the office I requested?" he asked cutting off the external speakers of his helmet.

 **"Location Acquired. Synthetic Insights Marked with a Nav Point."** said the AI bringing up a map with said Nav point. Swiping the information aside, Jason followed Shepard and the rest of the team into the main pavilion where many shops and offices were located with people moving about.

"Our first stop is Anoleis' office and getting the garage pass to Peak 15." said Jane as they began heading to the office in question.

"You guys go on ahead. There's something I have to take care of first." said the Post-Human heading in another direction.

"And what would that be?" asked Garrus as they watched the other Spectre head off.

"Something that might be able to help us along." he said cryptically as he vanished into the crowd.

The team watched him go confused. "I wonder what he could be after." wondered Liara as they began heading toward the Administrator's office.

"I'm sure whatever it is, if Jason thinks that it can help us with the mission, than we can trust his judgement." said Jane as they entered the office. "I just hope that whatever he does doesn't end with too much bloodshed."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Synthetic Insights - Noveria**

 **August 13, 2183 - 13:18 hours**

Hacking the elevator to Synthetic Insights was easy. The doors opened up to reveal the vacated offices of the once successful business and he headed out into the open. **"Cloak Engaged."** he vanished into thin air and began to make his way toward Lorik Qui'in's office.

Getting the data early and setting things into motion much quicker would help things along a lot easier.

Firing a hack program that wiped all the cameras in the area clean. He began moving from shadow to shadow, scanning the area and finding no one in the vicinity for the time being. He decloaked and found the office, heading straight for the Turian's terminal and bringing out his omni-tool. "Prophet, rip the data from the terminal. Find the evidence of Anoleis' guilt."

 **"Datamine Commencing..."** the upload bar appeared on screen as the AI began going through every bit of information contained on the terminal.

Jason's HUD lit up and several red blips appeared down by the entrance to the offices. "Dammit. Sterling's teams already arrived." he muttered as the bar completely filled. **"Datamine Complete. Data Retrieved."** He shut down the omni-tool and activated his cloak again as the corrupt security team began to fan out and search the place.

"I think I should show these guys what happens when they mess with the wrong people." Jason said to himself as he began to watch the security personnel move about.

One of the guards branched off from the others and was checking a small office on the far side of the upper level. Jason stalked the man until he was out of sight of the others. He pulled out his knife, forcing the man's head back and stabbed through his jugular before he could utter a sound.

Recloaking, the nano soldier pulled out his bow and knocked an arrow. Waiting for another guard to branch off before drawing the string back and letting it fly.

The guard collapsed with the arrow through the visor of his helmet and out the back of his head.

"Hey, Michels and Avers aren't checking in." said one of the guards on the bottom level.

"Then find them! Anoleis isn't paying us to stand around!" ordered Sterling.

Two of the remaining guards began searching for their lost comrades. Finding the body of one of them with the arrow through his head. "Hey! We got a man dow-!" the guard was silenced when two large hands wrapped around his head and snapped it hard to the side.

The other guard couldn't respond fast enough as Jason grabbed the dead guard's shotgun and fired two shots into his chest.

Turning around at the sound of a dozen feet moving quickly, Jason saw the remaining security personnel running up the steps and standing in front of him with weapons drawn. "Shit, who the hell is that?" asked one of them keeping his rifle steady.

Sterling came up last and stood in front of her men. "Well, well. If it isn't the 'Spectre'. You've got a lot of nerve interfering in our business." she said leering at him.

"Tearing an office apart to destroy evidence that could put your boss in jail isn't any better. Data that I already have in my possession." replied Jason. "And I can assure you, Anoleis won't be getting his hands on it if I have anything to say about it."

The Sergeant's eyes looked at the dead guards around the Spectre before they narrowed at him, "You wanna know what we did to cop killers on my planet?"

Jason tossed the stolen shotgun aside. "You wanna know what we did to corrupt assholes back where I'm from?" he pulled two grenades from his pack. "Allow me to show you." **"Maximum Armor."**

The guards opened fire. Their rounds bouncing harmlessly off of the Post-Human's armor as his energy meter began to drop steadily.

When they stopped firing Jason remained standing, energy barely at 5% with grenades still in hand. "My turn." The explosives were thrown at the stunned guards and exploded moments later, blowing a few apart and sending others flying in different directions.

Drawing his Hammer, the nano soldier ran forward while shooting at the remaining guards that began to quickly drop one after another. Many of them unable to shoot back since their weapons had overheated in their combined attack.

He holstered the pistol when it ran out and drove his fist into the face of the first guard he reached causing them to topple over the railing and slamming into the ground below.

His knife came out and stabbed another guard in the stomach, spinning around them and using their body as a shield as he took their assault rifle and gunned down a different guard that tried to take a shot at him.

Pulling the blade free, he broke the wounded man's neck before turning to the remaining two guards. A woman and a Turian who were shaking in fear. Completely unable to hold their weapons straight after seeing all of their comrades go down so quickly before their eyes.

"I think it's time you two chose a different career." he said evenly. Knife still in hand with blood dripping on to the metal floor.

"Y-Your right...what was I thinking, being a security guard." stuttered the woman as she and her friend dropped their weapons and beat feet back to the elevator.

Jason watched them go knowing they wouldn't be a problem anymore. **"Warning: Biotic Strike Imminent."** He dove aside as a warp attack was fired in his direction.

"Those were some of my best men." said Sterling with her hand pressed over a wound in her right shoulder. "And you killed them without hesitation." she growled with dark energy gathering around her.

Tilting his head, Jason gripped his knife. **"Cloak Engaged."** The Sergeant blinked as the Spectre vanished from sight. "Where are you, you coward!" she screamed firing warps and throws in different directions, hoping to hit the invisible man.

She turned around only to feel a hand grasp her throat. Jason decloaked and drove his knife into her chest right into her heart. The corrupt security head was dead in moments as he dropped her to the floor.

He looked at all of the dead security personnel and shook his head. "What a waste." he muttered before making his way back. Re-sheathing his knife and reloading his pistol along the way.

Putting a bullet in the back of a groaning guard's head as he past by them to the stairs.

X

Jane. Garrus and Liara stepped off of the elevator into Synthetic Insights. When they got stone walled by Anoleis, Gianna pointed them in the direction of a Turian named Lorik Qui'in who would have a way to help them get to Peak 15.

The trade off was them going into the offices and collecting evidence that would prove Anoleis' corruption. An easy enough task depending on how many of the Administrator's goons there were already there.

What the team wasn't expecting was to see two guards running at them like the devil was in pursuit. "Hey! What the hell's going on?" asked the Commander as the two stopped in front of them.

"They...He...He killed them all! We have to get outta here!" the woman screamed running past them with the Turian behind her into the elevator.

The squad watched them leave before looking at one another, "10 creds says Jason is involved." said Garrus.

"Then you'd finally win a bet Garrus." said Jason coming down the last few steps and approaching them.

Jane crossed her arms, "Can we guess that the little thing you had to take care of was this?" she asked.

"I hacked a few terminals on the way in and found a few pieces of information that could have proved useful. I figured if the Administrator wouldn't help us, than we could get some dirt on him and see if that helped us in anyway." replied the nano soldier.

"It can, this evidence could put him away for a long time." said Liara.

Jason held up his omni-tool and sent all of the data he collected to an OSD. "Then it's a good thing I got to it before the corrupt assholes got to it first." he said handing it over to Shepard.

"How many guards are still alive?" asked the Commander, pocketing the disc.

"Just the two that ran by you. They surrendered so I let them go. Can't say the same for Sterling and the other goons under her command." Jason replied as they all got into the elevator and rode it to the ground floor.

They stepped out and was immediately approached by Gianna. "There have been reports of noise from the Synthetic Insights office. Would any of you know anything about that?" she asked directly.

"Probably Anoleis' thugs ripping the place apart." said Jane smirking. Jason smirked behind his visor, liking her style.

"Smartass, hm? That's fine. I can work with that." said Gianna. "Meet me at the hotel for a drink, before you talk to Qui'in. I'll be waiting." And with that she left without another word.

"What could she be wanting to talk to us about?" wondered Liara.

"She's a cop." said Jason gathering their attention. "Noveria Internal Affairs. My best guess is that she's undercover investigating Anoleis and needs our evidence to help make a conviction."

"I had a feeling she was police." said Garrus. "C-Sec did smiliar work all the time. She hid it pretty well."

Jane looked at her fellow Spectre. "How'd you figure out she was Internal Affairs?"

Jason shrugged, "SECOND managed to get the files on her. I just put two and two together after that. Does make you wonder what the bastard did to have this much heat on him."

"Either way, we better get to the hotel bar and wrap this up. The more time we waste, the less we have at completing our mission." said Shepard as they started moving.

They made it back to the hotel bar in a matter of minutes. The team found Gianna in the far corner away from the main floor. Obviously for privacy for what she was going to talk to them about.

She saw them coming and stood up from her seat. "Allow me to reintroduce myself. Parasini, Noveria Internal Affairs." Jane looked over at Jason who shrugged back at her as if saying 'I was right'.

"I take it you all already knew." said Gianna, noting their lack of reaction before looking at Jason. "Then again, with Maverick on your side it's no wonder you figured it out so quickly."

"You've heard of me?" asked Jason.

"Heard of you? Everyone in Citadel Space knows that suit anywhere. After everything you did years ago on the Citadel people were told to keep a look out for you. And seeing's how the bodies of all of Anoleis' lackies are being scraped off the floor back at Synthetic Insights, I can safely assume that it was you who was responsible." said Gianna.

"Can't confirm or deny, ma'am." said the nano soldier crossing his arms.

Gianna shook her head, "Over a dozen dead guards. All the cameras wiped and little to no trace evidence...guess that case won't be solved." she said looking in Jason's direction again. "Getting off topic. The executive board knows about Anoleis' corruption. I've been undercover for six months. I want you to convince Qui'in to testify before the board. With his evidence, this planet can run profitably again." said the agent.

"We need his garage pass to complete our mission." said Jane.

"You help my investigation. I'll provide whatever you need. Favor for a favor." said Gianna.

"The one thing that makes the verse go round." commented Jason. "Scratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

"Look, I don't like it either. You Spectres play fast and loose with the law all the time. That's bad for business." said Gianna.

"We'll talk to Qui'in and see if we can convince him." said Jane.

Gianna nodded, "Thank you. You know where I work. Come talk to me once you know if he'll play ball." she turned to leave when she paused and looked back, speaking low enough for only them to hear. "Oh, and Maverick. Try to keep the body count low next time. Less paper work."

X

Everything played out after that. Qui'in agreed to testify, Anoleis was arrested and shipped off to stand trial. And the team got their garage pass along with a Mako that was provided to help get them to Peak 15 through the snow storm that had been raging outside since they arrived.

The squad approached the garage area and flashed their newly acquired pass before going inside. Jason froze at the door, holding his arms out to stop the others as his motion tracker started acting up.

 **"Local Jamming Frequency Detected. Re-initializing...Complete."** the motion tracker went back to normal as five hostiles appeared. "What is it?" asked Jane looking around.

"Get your guns out, we're not alone in here." he said drawing his shotgun.

As if on que. Two Geth Stalkers flung themselves along the ceiling and began firing on them. The squad got into cover and fired back as two Destroyers and a Shock Trooper came up the ramp at the end of the garage and started launching rockets and heavy pulse weapon fire on them.

Garrus leaned out of cover with his sniper rifle and blew a hole through the neck of a Stalker that attempted to jump and dropped it to the floor. Liara used her biotics to freeze the other in stasis allowing the Turian to do the same to it as he did with the first.

Jane and Jason both fired from a crate they were behind on the two Destroyers as they began to get closer. Jason fired up the Geth hacking program and took control of the Shock Trooper, forcing it to fire on the two larger Geth and giving them an opening to hit them when their backs were turned.

The Destroyers took out the lone Shock Trooper, but not before it helped knock out their shields giving the four man team a chance to unload on them all at once. Both platforms hit the ground oozing white fluid from their deactivated forms.

This was the scene witnessed by Captain Matsuo and a squad of guards as they stormed the garage. "What the- What are these things? Fan out and secure the area! No one get's in or out!" she ordered her men as she approached the team.

"What the hell have you done?" she demanded.

"What we did?" asked Jane, visibly upset. " We're the victims! The Geth attacked us!"

Matsuo didn't look convinced, "Geth? You expect me to believe-" she was interrupted when Jason threw the body of one of the Stalkers Garrus shot at her feet.

"Believe us now? Or are you going to blame that on us too?" said the nano soldier. "The Matriarch that came through here had a lot more than just an armed escort. Did you morons even bother to check her cargo when she passed through here?"

"We did thorough scans of the crates." explained the Captain. "There were no power sources, no element zero masses-"

"The Geth are _machines_ , Captain. They can be deactivated and reactivated to avoid such scans. Did you check for data transmission frequencies or cybernetics? Or did that just slip by in customs?" Jason shook his head. "How many containers did Benezia have and how big were they?"

Matsuo thought a minute, "Two average size shipping containers...I'd say roughly 20' by 9', maybe more."

Jason did the math and had SECOND draw it up. "Shepard, if my math is right, we're looking at several dozen Geth. Between the numbers of 20 and 80, not counting heavies and drones with how then can fold in on themselves."

Jane nodded, "Than we better get up to Peak 15 and shut down whatever is happening up there."

"I have to report to the executive board. It word gets out about loose Geth, there may be an investor panic." said Matsuo before heading off.

The squad did a quick weapons check before heading off down the ramp to the Mako that had been waiting for them. Jason jumped into the turret seat and immediately had Prophet tap into the controls to assist while Jane got behind the wheel with Liara at navigation.

The large doors into the garage opened revealing a snow covered mountain valley with a huge blizzard still ravaging the area and making visibility drop by a few percent.

"Alright everyone, hang on. This may get a bit rough." called the Commander as she gunned the engine and started up the path into the mountains.

 **X**

 **A/N: The mission to Noveria has begun, and a lot of heads are gonna roll when the team reach Peak 15. But Jason also has something up his sleeve, so things are gonna get shaken up a bit.**


	35. Chapter 34

**A/N: Really loving all the support guys. DFX contacted me the other day and said I'm doing good with his creation and offering to help where he can. Although he is 'retired' from fanfiction, he's still a good mentor even with his dyslexia. That's just makes him more skilled.**

 **As promised to those that are sticking with me, I got a new update to add to the pool!**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Aleutsk Valley - Skadi Mountains (Noveria)**

 **August 13, 2183 - 14:05 hours**

The blizzard through the valley pass leading to Peak 15 was much worse than the team had anticipated. Visibility dropped more and more the farther their Mako went into the mountains, as did the temperature. Which according to SECOND's readings was -27 F.

Jason had linked the his suit's nano vision to the turret controls so that he could help Jane and Liara navigate the rough terrain. "We've got a bend in the road ahead. Tight right turn." he reported as the Commander turned the rover as gently as she could on the snow covered pass.

With a mountain peak to their right, and a ledge that dropped off into deep crevice to their right the Mako had very little room to move.

They passed a Grizzly that was off of the road on their right. "The Geth have been through here." said Jane as they passed the flaming wreckage and around the next corner.

 **"Ordinance Incoming."** said SECOND over the rover's intercom. The Commander spun the wheel hard as two rockets sailed past them. Jason swung the Mako's turret around and fired two quick shots into the Geth heavy turret that was stationed next to a small tunnel and destroyed it.

A squad of Shock Troopers came out of the tunnel and set up several solid energy shields at the entrance as they took cover and fired on the rover. "Guess they decided to roll out the welcome wagon."said Jason firing the Mako's machine guns on the Geth.

Their shields went down fast and half the Shock Troopers were cut down as Shepard powered them through the blockade and running down the remaining platforms standing.

Two more blockades were set up along the way with Rocket Troopers, Juggernauts, Destroyers, and Shock Troopers stationed at each one. Jane kept the gas pedal floored while Jason kept shooting both guns.

The Geth were turned to scrap metal as the Mako barreled through those that had managed to avoid being hit with the heavy rounds. They exited the tunnel and hit the pass again in time for plasma fire to strike the side of the rover.

"Barriers down to 83%." said Liara as they engaged an Armature that was standing by the wreckage of another vehicle off to the side. Jason used the machine guns and quickly dropped the large synthetic's shields before firing the main cannon and blowing the torso of the Armature apart.

Shepard kept them moving while her fellow Spectre gunned down the Rocket Troopers that had been standing around the larger platform.

This was what they faced the entire journey up the mountain. Jason's assumptions had been right in the number of Geth that had been passed through customs as they went through blockade after blockade set up to stop them.

Their numbers added up to a sizable force and that was just as they were rolling up to the facility's front door.

Blasting the two heavy turrets stationed outside of Peak 15, Jane pulled up the the entrance and powered down the rover as they all piled out. "Do we have a way to get inside? The place is probably on lock down because of the storm." said Garrus from under his helmet as the snow continued to blow around them.

"On it." said Jason pulling up his omni-tool and hacking the door. The lock switched from red to green in moments allowing them access.

Guns out, the squad entered the garage of the facility ready for what might be waiting for them. **"Hostiles Detected."** they got into cover as oncoming gunfire peppered the crates around them. Jason leaned out of cover and put a three round burst through the optic of a Geth Trooper with his Grendel.

A Juggernaut stepped out from behind a large crate and fired a rocket on their position. Jane and Garrus both fired on the large platform with their assault rifles, dropping its shields almost instantly allowing Liara to lift it into the air with her biotics and slamming it back down with bone jarring force.

Jason moved up to the next piece of cover available as two Krogan came out of hiding and fired on him. The nano soldier emptied a salvo into the first Krogan before leaping up on to a crate. **"Maximum Power."** he lept into the air, fist cocked back as he slammed it down on the large alien's head. Splitting his head plate open and caving in his skull all at once.

"User Alert! All Peak 15 facilities have suffered a great deal of damage. Biohazardous materials present throughout facility. Virtual intelligence user interface offline." said the facility's VI over the intercom.

"Sounds like some of the buildings main components need repairs." said Liara as the team regrouped before heading up the staircase nearby.

"We'll need to get the reactors back online. Along with the VI to figure out just what the hell has been going on here." said Jason while venting his rifle.

They passed through a doorway and saw automated turrets facing toward the door ahead of them. "Why would they set up turrets the wrong way?" asked Garrus.

"Looks like they were trying to keep people in, instead of letting them out." said Jane as they passed through the doorway and into the security station. "Search the room for clues, maybe we can figure out what's been going on."

Jason walked over to one of the terminals and brought up his omni-tool. "SECOND, anything?" the AI was silent a moment, **"Negative. Terminal Power Level Low. Power Must be Restored."** came the report. "We're not getting anything until the systems are brought back online." he said to the others.

They left the security room and took the elevator across the corridor to the next level. "It's quiet. What do you think's been going on up here?" asked Liara.

"If Saren's involved than it can't be anything good. If he is a share holder with Binary Helix, god only knows what he was able to fund behind the Council's backs." said Shepard checking her assault rifle over.

The lift stopped and let them off. Jason approached the door ahead of them and held up a fist as he had SECOND make a quick scan. "Five hostiles. All Geth." he said looking over his motion tracker.

"Liara and I will go left, you and Garrus take right. We'll sweep the room quick." said Jane as they got ready. The nano soldier hit the door panel and they stormed in.

Two Geth Troopers greeted them first, but they were cut down before they had a chance to raise their pulse rifles. Liara lifted a Shock Trooper that popped out of cover giving Shepard a chance to take it down.

Garrus tossed a grenade across the room and destroyed a Rocket Trooper before it could get a lock on the group. Jason rushed the last Shock Trooper in the room, pulling out his knife and stabbing it into it's optic before kicking the body against a wall for good measure.

The room fell silent, save for the harsh wind howling outside. "I have a bad feeling about this." said Jane venting her rifle.

 **"Proximity Alert. Unknown Lifeforms Detected."** reported SECOND as Jason quickly switched to his shotgun. "We got company inbound." he said scanning the room.

The sound of skittering and light chattering could be heard throughout the room. The squad stood back to back with their weapons/biotics ready for what was coming. "Where? I can't tell." said Liara looking left and right.

Garrus aimed his assault rifle up when he heard some of the sounds from above. "Where is that coming from? The wind? This place looks pretty bad." he said keeping his eyes open.

Jason narrowed his eyes. **"Nano Vision Enabled."** the room's spectrum changed, and the visor immediately picked up over a dozen small heat signatures moving through the walls heading to their location. "Their in the walls!" he shouted blasting at a nearby vent.

Other vents in the room burst open as green bugs the size of a pistol began swarming toward them. Everyone opened fire, their rounds tearing through the small creatures easily but they kept coming in droves.

One of the bugs managed to leap onto Jane's chest plate. She grabbed it and threw it into a wall and saw that there were now burn marks on her armor where the critter had been a moment ago. "They have acid that can eat through armor, stay sharp!" she called out spraying full auto fire all over the room.

Liara launched a shockwave that sent a group of the bugs splattering against the wall before taking out her pistol to deal with others. Garrus stood at her back and shot a few that were trying to climb the wall behind them. "How many of these things are there?" he asked before shooting another small group.

Jason brought his foot down on three of the insects before racking his shotgun to vent it. His sharp eyes caught movement at the top of the small staircase that lead out of the room. A large insect that looked like a four legged cockroach with claw tipped tentacles.

Letting out a loud screech before firing green globs from it's appendages. "Incoming!" he shouted diving aside.

The globs landed on an overturned table and ate through the dense metal like water through tissue paper. The team regrouped and engaged the new threat, focusing their joint fire on the insect and quickly putting it down before it could launch another salvo.

More screeches were heard as three more of the creatures scurried down the reinforced glass hallway on the second floor toward them. Jason drew his bow and took out an explosive arrow. Firing it into the wall next to the opening to the corridor. The large bugs made it to the end just as the explosives detonated, blowing the creatures apart and sending their remains flying across the room.

"Just what the hell are we dealing with here." said Garrus a little disturbed by what they had just seen.

Jason knelt down next to the dead insect they had killed and scanned it with his omni-tool. "SECOND, scan this body. What can you tell me about it?" The team gathered around as the AI's voice spoke. **"Scanning...Complete. Accessing Council Records."** Several readouts appeared above the omni-tool. Some of which showed holos of the creatures they had seen. **"Species Designated Rachni Confirmed."**

"Rachni? That's not possible." said Liara. "The Krogan destroyed their race long ago by the Council's order. There is no way that they could be back."

"It seems we've found what they've been doing here." said Jason. "SECOND, what can you tell us about the Rachni?"

 **"Rachni: Insectoid in Nature. Possess a Hive Mind link to their Queen in order to Function. Three Classes ever recorded in history."**

 **"Worker Class possess weak exoskeleton, but can produce highly corrosive acid in small amounts to break down matter."**

 **"Warrior Class possess stronger exoskeleton able to withstand long bouts of assault. Able to fire the same powerful acid from their tentacle appendages. Deadly at close quarters."**

 **"Little is recorded on Rachni Queens. Data available suggests far stronger exoskeleton compared to underlings, and possesses ability to communicate with them via ultrasonic frequencies."**

"Looks like this mission just got a little more hazardous." said Jane as she looked over the Rachni Warrior's corpse one last time.

"We'll have to keep our eyes and ears open at all times. If these things are in the vents, then they can pop up almost anywhere." said Jason as they started moving again. Keeping their weapons ready just encase any more of the insects were waiting for them.

They didn't have to wait long.

When they entered the corridor the creatures came from, the vents in one of the rooms to their right burst open and two more Rachni Warriors came out and charged them. The squad opened fire. Their rounds punching through the hardened exoskeletons and splattering green blood across the walls and floors.

One of them lashed a tentacle out and managed to knock Garrus off his feet before Jason's Shotgun registered multiple times. Each blast blowing sizable chunks out of the creatures body before it collapsed on to the ground dead. "Garrus, you good?" asked the Post-Human helping his friend to his feet.

"Yeah, damn these things hit hard." said the Turian looking down at the small dent that had been made in his armor. "No surprise it took the Krogan to take them out. If they're like any other kind of bug they must be able to reproduce in large numbers."

"Which makes this even more crucial that we get this mission done and find a way to make sure these things don't escape the facility." said Jane as they entered another elevator.

Liara's eyes drifted to the floor, "What in the Goddess' name would my mother be doing here? Did she have something to do with this? Bringing back the Rachni just doesn't sound like something she would do."

"You've said that you two haven't spoken to each other in years." said Jane looking to her in sympathy. "A lot can change in that amount of time. Or maybe it's Saren. The Council always said that he was very influential. Maybe he found a way to get her on to his side."

Jason bit his lip. Shepard had no idea how right she was on the subject.

The door to the lift opened revealing a darkened room filled with computer terminals and power conduits. Two hallways t-boned off from the main room with a large circular chamber with another door at the far end.

 **"Nano Vision Enabled."** Jason looked around the room, picking up the signatures from the still active terminals and luckily nothing else. "Nothing yet, move in slow." he said leading the team inside.

The others activated the lights on their helmets as they began to check everything over. "Looks like a backup power system for the station's mainframe." said Jane looking over a nearby terminal.

Jason's motion tracker lit up, he looked toward the back of the room and saw a cluster of small heat signatures rushing toward them. "Contact!"

A group of five Rachni Workers came at them from the back forcing them to open fire. When the smaller bugs were down the team moved about, sweeping the large room to make sure there weren't any more surprises. "Wrex should be here, he'd probably get a kick out of fighting these things." said Garrus as they started switching the backup power system on for the mainframe.

"I doubt that old bastard needs to have his ego stroked any more." said Jason switching on the last terminal. The lights in the room and the remaining terminals began to power up allowing them to turn off their lights.

"Critical startup error. Virtual Intelligence user interface offline. Manual reboot required." chimed the station's VI.

Checking the doors and finding all of them sealed, they moved to the large room in the back and saw a large terminal system with a lift that was lowered down to the bottom. "This must be the VI's main core." said Liara.

Jason put his gun away and lept down into the hole. Hitting the ground and putting a small dent in the lowered lift. He began looking around at the damage that had been sustained to the VI core. "How's it look down there?" Jane called down.

He removed a panel from the terminal and started looking through the wires, "It's a bit of a mess down here. Whatever did this wanted to make damn sure that everything was shut down."he said applying omni-gel to a few damaged circuits while SECOND highlighted several other components that would need to be fixed to get everything running.

"Could it have been the Rachni?" asked the Commander.

Jason replaced the panel and moved on to another. "I believe so. Looks like they got into the circuts and tore them up. Can't tell if they were stupid and got lucky, or their smart enough to cut off the outside world from this place."

He reached the memory core units and began to work a little more carefully. The last thing any of them needed was the station's VI 'forgetting' certain things. When the last of the units were properly aligned, Jason pulled up his omni-tool and had SECOND scan them. "SECOND, scan the memory cores and pull up anything relating to the Rachni or Saren. And I mean _anything_."

 **"Data-Mine Commencing..."** he went back to repairing the VI core while the AI did its job. Several minutes passed and Jason was almost done with the repairs when he got confirmation that the download was complete.

Pulling up the files SECOND had found revealed everything he already knew was going on with this place. How they had been cloning the Rachni from an egg that was found and using the new Queen to create more. Saren's involvement. And the fact that any and all security that may still be alive at Peak 15 was on the rogue Spectre's payroll.

Satisfied with the find, Jason finished up the last of the repairs. The core lit up like a Christmas tree and the lift began carrying the nano soldier back up to the main floor. The rest of the team perked up when he returned and the holo-tank next to the terminal lit up revealing a purple/orange woman made out of code.

"It looks like you're trying to restore this facility. My name is Mira, would you like assistance?" asked the VI.

"Help would be appreciated." said Jane glad that they were finally getting somewhere in this place.

"Can I get your identification?" asked Mira.

"Commander Shepard. Citadel Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." said Jane.

"Maverick. Also with Special Tactics and Reconnaissance." added Jason.

"One moment please...Council authority confirmed. You both are entitled to Secure Access of all systems. Please note that queries relating to corporate secrets require Privileged Access. Privileged Access is only available to Binary Helix executives."

"And anyone with a powerful VI built in their suit." said Jason making everyone glance at him.

"...you didn't..." said Jane a little shocked.

He brought up his omni-tool and sent all the data he collected to the Commander's. "They've been cloning Rachni here Shepard. That's why Saren's so interested in this place. Most of the people here are on his payroll and will most likely be hostile toward us if we come in contact."

"Alert! Unauthorized Access to Binary Helix Records! Security Protocols now in effect!" said Mira about to sound the alarm.

"I don't think so." said Jason pressing a few buttons into his omni-tool. Mira's form began to distort, the lights around the room flickered for several moments before it all seemed to go back to normal.

Mira looked at the team and they saw that she now had red eyes. **"Virtual Intelligence Rewrite...Complete."** she spoke in SECOND's deep monotone voice.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Garrus a little stunned.

"When I pulled data from the memory cores, I had SECOND implant a stronger variant of my hacking program into the system. I now have full control of the facility's security measures and data banks." said Jason grinning under his helmet.

Jane shook her head and rubbed her eyes. "Next time, would you mind letting us know before you start hijacking research facilities?" she said giving him a look.

The Post-Human shrugged before looking at the SECOND 'possessed' Mira. "What are we looking at for damages to this place?"

 **"Running Diagnostics...Complete. Main Reactor Core is offline, manual restart required. Landline Connections disabled. Tram Systems offline."**

"Where is Benezia located?" asked the Commander.

 **"Rift Station Subsidiary labs. Tram Systems need to be reactivated for access."** replied the AI.

"And according to the security protocols. We need to get the landlines and the main reactor up and running before they can become operable again." said Jason looking through his omni-tool. "We should split up. I'll take the landlines, you guys hit the reactor core." he said heading for the door that eas behind them.

"Wait! Are you sure that it is wise for us to split up with the Rachni on the loose?" asked Liara.

"The longer we stay in one place, the more bugs that will come after us. We need to get to the rift station and stop all of this. We split up it gets done faster." replied Jason.

Jane sighed, "I don't like it, but he's right. Stay in radio contact at all times. We'll meet back here when everything's done." The nano soldier nodded and hit the panel for the door. "Jason." He turned back and saw the concerned green eyes looking at him from under the N7 helmet. "Please be careful." she said softly.

Jason smiled. "I'll be fine. Don't worry." he said entering the corridor beyond and stepping on to the lift at the end. Jane watched him go with a slight pull in her chest before she headed toward the entrance to the reactor core with Liara and Garrus following closely.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Peak 15 - Skadi Mountains (Noveria)**

 **August 13, 2183 - 15:16 hours**

The lift ride was short, and ended in a corridor leading to the roof where snow was built up around the other door. The temperature dropped meaning that he was going to have to go through the snow storm to reconnect the station's landlines.

Jason drew his assault rifle and hit the door panel. The howling wind and snow whipped past him as he stepped out onto the roof. The darkness combined with the bad weather made visibility difficult for most people.

 **"Nano Vision Engaged."** With the rooftop now visible. The nano soldier trudged out through the knee deep snow toward the power couplings that would reestablish contact with Peak 15. "SECOND, what's the status with the others right now?" he asked scanning the vicinity for hostiles.

 **"They have reached the reactor core and are currently engaged with Geth forces. No injuries or casualties thus far."** relayed the AI.

Jason's motion tracker went off as three large heat signatures came out and started to make their way in his direction. The sounds of his rifle being fired was covered by the sound of the storm as each Rachni dropped one after the other.

Reloading a fresh clip, the nano soldier went over to the central power unit and activated his omni-tool. The whole system flared to life a minute later. **"Landline Channels Re-Established."**

Job complete, Jason headed back to the lift. "Shepard, landlines are all set. Heading back to the VI core room." he said into the comm as the lift descended.

 _"We're wrapping things up here as well. Meet you back there."_ said the Commander.

The lift opened on the main floor and Jason stepped out with weapon drawn. He began clearing the room to make sure that the rest of the team didn't get ambushed when they made it back.

A vent in the corner blew open and a Warrior came out screeching at him. His AR registered with several three round bursts before it collapsed back into the service duct. Another vent opened allowing another Rachni in the room. Jason squeezed the trigger and fired on the insect but it was cut short with an audiable click.

 **"Weapon Overheated."** The Rachni fired a glob of acid forcing the Post-Human to roll to the side. Drawing his Hammer in mid-roll and emptying it into the creature before it could launch another attack.

The Warrior fell to the floor dead just as the door leading to the reactor core opened the the rest of the team came into the room guns ready. "We heard gunfire, everything okay?" asked Jane looking at the dead Rachni.

"All is well." said Jason reloading his weapon. They headed back over to the VI core where the SECOND controlled intelligence waited for them. **"Landline connections and core reactor back online. Tram systems are now operable again."**

"Good to hear. We better get to the Rift station and put an end to all of this." said Jane.

Jason took out his omni-tool again, "One thing first. SECOND, access everything you can about the classified experiments that have been done and are being done by Binary Helix. Have all of the data sent to the Council, I think they'd love to know what's been going on right under their noses."

 **"Acknowledged. Data Transfer in Progress."** said the AI as Jason looked to the rest of the team. "Now we can head out." he said as they headed to the tram station.

"What about SECOND? You can't just leave it behind." said Liara.

"I'm not. It never leaves the suit, but the sub-routines that can be broken off and sent to various places can. And those come back to the suit and merge back with SECOND automatically once their job is done." explained the nano soldier.

"Useful skill to have. If most people could do that-" started Garrus.

"It could lead to too many problems." Jason cut him off. "You think C-Sec could handle people remote hacking the Citadel Archives and getting every drop of information they could on anyone and anything they wanted? It would be everyone's worse nightmare."

Jane looked up from her spot walking next to him, "Can you do that?" she asked a bit hesitant.

Jason looked down at her, "I _could_ , but unlike the Shadow Broker I have no use for that kind of data. Like what happened when we got the intel on the Rachni, I didn't need to hack the archives for that. All I had to do was use my Spectre status to get it."

"Knowledge is power. And with an ability like that you would be unstoppable." said Liara as they entered the tram station.

"That maybe true. But I only use what information I need to complete a mission. Nothing more. Like I said, if I have no use for it I don't really want it." replied the Post-Human.

They stepped on to the tram car and punched in the keys for the Rift station down the tracks. The team settled into seats throughout the car as it began moving. Jason sat down on a bench and looked over his weapons for any damage. Jane flopped down next to him, leaning her head back against the wall and taking the moment to relax her nerves after what they've been through thus far.

Garrus and Liara sat across from them. Garrus adjusting the sights on this sniper rifle while Liara looked to be deep in thought. "We'll find her Liara." the Asari looked across the car at Jason as he finished looking over his rifle and slapping in a fresh ammo block. "And we'll find out why she's helping Saren. Hopefully we won't have to fight her." he said gently.

The blue skinned woman smiled sadly, "I hope so too. We may not have gotten along all the time, but she is still my mother." Garrus patted her shoulder and have a nod showing he understood.

Jane looked at her team and knew they had a real connection. Ever since this mission started she knew that they all fit together pretty well with one another. They could lean on each other when it was needed and it truly made them like a family.

She looked up at the man next to her as he leaned his head back against the wall behind them like she had a moment ago. Her heartrate picking up as she thought about her fellow Spectre and how close they had gotten since the start of all this. She shook her head clearing the thoughts, putting it in the back of her mind for when the mission was over.

Jason observed her from the corner of his eye. Glad that his red visor was blocking it from view. He could tell that Jane was beginning to grow attached to him, all the subtle hints of her interest were very visible. Along with the _not so subtle_ hints he had been getting.

For a while he was thinking about how to approach her about it, but so far it had come up as a blank to him. She was an amazing woman, strong, intelligent, charismatic, and very beautiful in his eyes. His own heart did flips whenever she would smile. It was hard not to grow attached to Jane Shepard when she got close to you.

The tram came to a stop at Rift station and the team got themselves ready for whatever else the station could throw at them. Hoping that they would just make it out alive.

 **X**

 **A/N: Drawing closer to their objective, and Benezia, you can bet that the indoctrinated matriarch won't go down without a fight. Good thing Jason knows how to deal with a situation on an interesting level.**

 **New update coming soon, with many more to follow!**


	36. Chapter 35

**A/N: You all honestly didn't think one update would be enough for me today, did you?**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Rift Station - Peak 15 (Noveria)**

 **August 13, 2183 - 16:21 hours**

The Rift Station of Peak 15 was just as quiet and empty as the central station. The winter storm continued to pound the outside of the facility sending odd sounds throughout the sector.

Jason checked his motion tracker for the tenth time since they stepped off the tram. Jane, Garrus and Liara all kept their eyes open as they moved farther in. "Did SECOND ever find where Benezia or the Rachni Queen are located?" asked Jane.

"The Queen is located in the main lab on the next floor. If there is anywhere that Benezia could be hiding it would be there." said Jason as his omni-tool chimed. "It also looks like all of the security personnel are stationed in the barracks defending the surviving scientists." he said looking over the information collected.

"What about the Rachni? Is there any way we can put them down and fast?" Asked Garrus.

"The hot labs below us has a neutron purge sequence. From what SECOND could gather, most of the Rachni are being quarantined to the labs. Activating the purge would wipe out all of them save for the ones that managed to escape through the ducts." replied the nano soldier.

"What about the ones that escaped?" asked Liara.

"They'll die after a period of time." Jason brought up another window on his omni-tool. "I was also able to find the experiment data Binary Helix was able to collect on them. The original data held in the Archives said something about the Queen being able to communicate via a ultrasonic frequencies. But from what the company was able to discover, if the underlings are kept far enough from the Queen as they grow they wouldn't be able to tune in on the frequencies that she emits."

"Doing this turns them wild, and makes it hard for them to survive outside of the Hive Mind created by the Queen. They don't develop properly, her mind shapes theirs so that they can thrive as a central unit."

The team paused, "Are you telling me that these bastards took the Rachni from their Queen and it turned them feral?" said Garrus not believing people would be this stupid for messing with such a dangerous species.

"This would explain why the Rachni we've encountered were so vicious." said Jane. "Their disorganized because they weren't raised around the Queen after they hatched. Binary Helix must be raising them separate in order to make them living weapons."

"They were trying to build an army of Rachni." said Jason. "Taking the egg they found to try and clone them, instead a Queen hatched and they decided on something else entirely. Now they're running loose and out of control. And if we don't find a way to put an end to the outbreak there are security measures in place to make sure they don't escape."

"And what measures are those?" asked Garrus.

"The battle stations around Noveria will target Peak 15 and wipe it out. Complete liquidation of the facility and all experiments contained within. And that includes people if they can't get out in time." said the nano soldier evenly.

Jane walked up next to him, "You and SECOND have a plan for this?"

Jason nodded, "The way I see it, we have three options." he said bringing up a map of the Rift station. "We can hit up the hot labs first and put down the feral Rachni before moving on to the corrupt security thugs who will probably attack us once they realize we've dealt with the bugs."

"The second option is that we hit the security first, but doing so would leave the scientists and other innocent people in the barracks vulnerable to a Rachni attack." he added while going over the map.

"Or?" asked Jane.

"We deal with the Rachni, and bypass the barracks all together. Leave the security and science teams to the local authorities for when all that data I sent to the Council puts Binary Helix in the ground." said the Post-Human finishing with the plan. "I'm leaving the ultimate decision up to you, Shepard. Which do you want to do?"

The Commander chewed on her lip in deep thought a moment before deciding. "The hot labs first, even though the scientists weren't innocent in this they don't deserve to be slaughtered like that. Then we move on to Benezia and the Queen, we don't have a whole lot of time for much else."

Jason nodded as they headed for the hot labs entrance. "SECOND, release all security locks leading to the hot labs. And prepare the neutron purge."

 **"Acknowledged. Activation Code Required to Complete Purge Sequence."** said the AI as the door opened and the team rode the lift down to the labs. "How do we get the code?" asked Liara.

"Only a handful of people have the the code on hand in case of experimental breakout. However, all the scientists that have it have either fled or been killed...all except for one." said Jason as the lift stopped and opened revealing a large empty room with a lone man sitting in a chair in the center of the room.

"Yaroslev Tartakovsky. Just the man we were looking for." said Jason as they entered the room and approached the hunched over man.

"Are you all here to secure the situation?" asked the scientist weakly, looking up at them with hollow eyes.

"We're here to help. What do you do here?" asked Jane.

"I'm the operations director. I would stand and shake your hands but...ehh." he groaned as he leaned back in the chair. "You must listen to me. If we do not contain our mistake, they will drop bombs from the battle stations. You understand?"

"You tried to let them out. If my VI hadn't resealed the labs when it took control, the bugs would still be running loose." said Jason grimly.

"I was only following orders." said Tartakovsky shifting his weight.

"We already know what's been going on here. The illegal experiments, the cover ups, everything. And we are here to put a stop to it so that nothing else can go wrong here." said Jane strictly. "We need the code to activate the neutron purge."

The scientist let out a deep sigh before bringing up his omni-tool. Jane's omni-tool chimed. "I just sent you the key to activate the purge. The arming controls are through that door over there." he said motioning to said door. "You must hurry, before-ARGH!" A tendril burst from the floor and speared the man through his back and out his chest.

It happened so quickly no one could have even attempted to stop it as a Rachni Warrior pulled itself out of the floor. Throwing the body of the dead scientist across the room before going after the squad.

Jason brought up his AR and fired into the bug, the others adding their own gunfire to the assault and dropping it before it got within striking distance. "We need to get the purge started, more will be on the way."

They moved quickly to the room the scientist pointed them too and headed straight for the wall of terminals inside. "SECOND, we have the code. Start the neutron purge." said Jane as the possessed VI hologram appeared.

 **"Activation Key Required."** said the AI.

"Code Input: 875-020-079. Code Omega. Local Execution." said the Commander.

Jason walked over to a storage locker and hacked it open. He grinned when he found what was inside. "Garrus catch!" he called tossing a Firestorm flamethrower over to the Turian.

"What's this for?" asked Garrus putting away his assault rifle and hefting the flamethrower.

"The moment the purge starts alarms will sound throughout the labs. It'll be like ringing the damn dinner bell for these things." Jason said as he picked up his own flamethrower, "These will give us a chance to make our escape before the purge activates."

 **"Code Verified. You have 120 seconds to reach minimum safe distance."** said SECOND as alarms resounded throughout the labs. At the same time, all their motion trackers went off as dozens upon dozens of red blips started to close in on them as the counter on their HUDs began counting down from _2:00_.

"I think we should get moving and quickly!" shouted Liara over the alarms.

They double timed it back to the main room where over a dozen Rachni had entered through the ducts with more pouring through. Jason and Garrus stood at the front and sent streams of fire into the large crowd of insects. The creatures screeched the more they were burned as the squad ran through the opening that had been made.

Liara threw up a barrier around them as shots of acid were launched at them. Jane brought up her shotgun and blasted any targets that got too close.

Reaching the doorway to the lift, Jason spun around and emptied the rest of his firestorm into the swarm of bugs behind them. Tossing the spent flamethrower aside as he ran into the lift with the team and sealed the door.

The elevator made it halfway to the main floor when an explosion shook the facility. "And that's the end of the Rachni problem." said Jason as the lift continued to rise.

X

Stepping off of the lift, Jason sealed the doors leading into and out of the barracks before the team headed toward the entrance to the main lab.

The lock switched from red to green and opened revealing a staircase that lead up to the next level. "How are we going to do this?" asked Garrus setting his nearly empty Firestorm aside and drawing his rifle.

"If Benezia's in there with the Queen she won't be alone. Geth and her escort will most likely be waiting to ambush us once we're inside." said Jane.

"I'll go in cloaked. Set up a few counter measures to give us an edge should it come to a firefight in the end." said Jason.

Shepard nodded before casting a glance over at Liara. The young Asari had her eyes closed taking deep breaths as she attempted to calm herself. "You don't have to do this, Liara The three of us can handle it if your not ready to." said Jane letting her compassionate nature out.

"No, I am fine." said Liara opening her eyes and glaring at the doorway at the top of the stairs. "I need to face her, and understand why she's doing this."

With that they all headed up the stairs, weapons ready for what they might end up facing. **"Cloak Engaged."** Jason vanished once they reached the top and the door opened. Inside was a large room surrounded by walkways with doors in each corner.

A large glass containment unit sat in the center and held a large Rachni that they immediately knew must have been the Queen.

And standing in front of the container on top of a high rise in the walkways was Martiarch Benezia. Who stared at the Queen not even acknowledging their presence before speaking.

"You do not know the priviledge of being a mother. There is power in creation. To shape a life. Turn it toward happiness or despair." she said without emotion. "Her children were to be ours. Raised to hunt and slay Saren's enemies.

She turned to the group, Jason slipped away while cloaked and began moving about the room to set up for the ambush that he knew would be coming.

"I won't be moved by sympathy. No matter who you bring into this confrontation." said Benezia while looking at her daughter.

"Liara's here because she wants to be. Not because I asked her to." said Jane sticking up for Liara.

Benezia narrowed her eyes, "Indeed? What have you told them about me, Liara?"

"What could I say, mother?" asked Liara, her voice cracking slightly. "That you're insane? Evil? Should I explain how to kill you? What could I say!"

Jason had just finished setting up the last precaution before making his way back. Walking up the stairs and approaching the Matriarch from behind. "SECOND, is that contingency plan we worked on ready?" he whispered.

 **"Affirmative."** The AI displayed several readings on the HUD, showing what looked to be a spore that had been heavily modified with nanite technology. **"Thorian Spores Have been Rewritten and Modified. Direct Contact is Required for Insertion."**

Jason looked at the Matriarch seriously, it was the only chance he had at trying to break Sovereign's hold over Benezia that didn't involve killing her. If they could break her free she could become an ally that'll help them in the end.

"Have you ever faced an Asari Commando unit before, Commander? Few Humans have." said Benezia darkly.

"I can't believe you'd kill your own daughter." said Jane disgusted.

Benezia's eyes darkened, "I now realize I should have been stricter with her." she searched the team. "Where is the other Spectre in your group?"

"Right here!" Jason said deactivating his cloak and grabbing the Matriarch from behind and locking her arms behind her back.

"Release me Human!" she shouted blasting a wave of dark energy at him.

 **"Maximum Armor."** the biotic attack washed over the nano soldier, his energy meter dropping by a good margin as he kept his grip strong.

A small group of Asari Commandos entered the room to help their mistress. However, the moment they passed the entrance into the main lab they tripped the sensors Jason had set up before.

The hostiles were blown away from the well placed proximity mines as the Post-Human spun Benezia in his arms and put his hands on either side of her head. Knocking her head-dress off and pressed the tips of his fingers into her temples. "SECOND now!" he ordered as the others ran up to them.

 **"Neurological Scans Initiated."** said the AI as it started mapping out the Matriarch's brainwaves through sensors in the suit's fingertips.

Benezia struggled in his grasp, but he held her still as the scans completed. Readouts of her brain activity displayed on his HUD and he immediately started looking for anything that looked out of the ordinary. **"Neurological Anomaly Detected** _ **."**_ A small section of the brainwave was highlighted red, and from its erratic frequency it did not belong there.

 **"Injecting Modified Spores."** On a microscopic level, hundreds of modified spores that had been collected through the nano suit's layers entered the Asari's head through her skin. Traveling through her bloodstream and into her brain where they quickly targeted where the anomaly in her thought patterns was located.

 **"Initiating Neurological Repairs."** The doors around the room shook as more proximity mines were tripped by more Commandos and several squads of Geth that tried to get into the room. "Shepard keep them off of me for a few more seconds!" said Jason as SECOND controlled the nanite-altered spores and fought against the Reaper indoctrination.

"Jason, what the hell are you doing?!" asked Jane as they surrounded the two. Liara keeping her eyes on what the Post-Human was doing to her mother.

"Saving her life." he said simply as SECOND doubled its efforts.

The corrupt brainwave fought back. Jason started seeing flashes of something in his mind's eye. Images of Sovereign shot through his head too fast to focus on. _"She hasn't been indoctrinated long, there's still hope!"_ he shouted mentally.

The corruption began to lose ground. The rest of the squad fired on a few Geth that had managed to get into the room and putting them down quickly.

Jason's HUD started to waver. Benezia's eyes rolled into the back of her head as her brainwaves were cleared with SECOND's influence. More images passed through the nano soldier's head the more the indoctrination strain was destroyed. Whispers were heard as the brainwave was overcome completely and fell silent.

But not before a cold deep voice bellowed in his head;

 **"YOU ARE AN ANOMALY THAT MUST BE REMOVED."**

 **"Neurological Repairs...Complete."**

The nano soldier and the Asari stumbled away from each other. Benezia collapsed on to the floor while Jason had to grab onto a nearby railing for support. "Son of a bitch..." he muttered as a headache lanced through his skull.

Liara knelt down next to her mother. "Mother?" she asked hesitantly.

Benezia looked up at her slowly, her eyes now clear compared to what they were before. "Little Wing?...Goddess...what have I done?" she said in sorrow. "I...tried to fight it. But it was too strong. His influence tainted my mind, forcing me to do things I would never do."

Jane looked up from helping Jason stand back up. "What do you mean by tainted? What is going on?"

"The things I have done was not my will, Shepard." said Benezia slowly getting to her feet with her daughter's aid. "People are not themselves around Saren. You come to idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything for him. The key to this is Sovereign, his flagship. It is a dreadnought of incredible size and its power is extraordinary."

"Where did he get something like this? It's nothing like other ships." asked Jane.

"I cannot say. The Geth did not build it. Its technology is far more advanced than that of any known species." explained the Matriarch. "The longer you stay aboard, the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words pour into you. It is subtle at first. I thought I was strong enough to resist, I became a willing tool, eager to serve."

The elder Asari looked over to the nano soldier as he approached them, "That is until your friend here broke Saren's hold over me. How in the Goddess' name did you overpower the indoctrination?"

"Wasn't easy." said Jason shaking off the last legs of his headache. "While we've been here I've had my VI record and monitor the ultrasonic frequency sent out among the Rachni. That coupled with the research I jacked from the databanks allowed me to synthesis my own version of the frequency. I combined this with what I was able to collect of the Thorian spores from back on Feros that controlled the colonists and modified them with the nanites in by body and suit."

"Basically, SECOND and I were able to create an anti-mind control neural-wave. Once the spores entered your mind, my VI was able to emit the frequencies to disrupt and eliminate the indoctrination."

Everyone's mouths hung open at the explanation. "By the Goddess..." said Liara in awe. "That's brilliant!"

"And dangerous." said Jason seriously. "The drawback from using something like this could disrupt a person's brainwaves and destroy their mind if not done properly. It was a good thing that the indoctrination wasn't complete."

"Can you use this again?" asked Jane intrigued with the new creation.

"No. I only had so many spores from the Thorian. It was a one shot deal." the Post-Human looked to the Matriarch. "And I believed that Lady Benezia would be a strong ally if we could break whatever hold Saren had over her."

As the group spoke, none of them noticed the burned body of an Asari Commando start to twitch.

"How did you even know that she was being controlled?" asked Garrus.

"All the signs were there." Jason looked to Benezia. "From what Liara said about you, nothing about your behavior made sense. Then I saw what the Thorian did to the colonists on Feros. I had a feeling that something similar was happening to you. So I started making the counter measure just to be safe."

Benezia smiled. "Thank you, Maverick. For freeing me of Saren's influence."

"What did Saren want here? Why did he send you to Noveria?" asked Jane.

"He sent me here to find the location of the Mu Relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago." said Benezia.

"How exactly does a mass relay 'go missing'?" asked Jason, always wanting to know that answer.

"Four thousand years ago, a star nearby went supernova. The shockwave propelled the relay out of its system, but did not damage it. It's precise vector and speed are impossible to determine. As millennia passed, the nebula created by the nova enveloped the relay. It is difficult to find any cold object in interstellar space. Particularly something swathed in hot dust and radiation." explained the Matriarch.

"Did someone here on Noveria find it?" asked Jane.

Benezia nodded before looking at the containment unit that held the Rachni Queen. "Two thousand years ago, the Rachni inhabited that region of our galaxy. They discovered the relay. They can share memories and experiences across generations. Queens inherit the knowledge of their mothers. I took the location of the relay from the Queen's mind."

She looked down in sorrow, "I was not gentle...I was not myself...I should have been stronger." Benezia looked to them, "I'll help you in anyway that I can, but we must move quickly. I sent the data on the Mu Relay to Saren before you arrived. We have to stop him before he achieves his goals."

"Can you tell us where he was headed? Where the Conduit might be located?" asked Jason.

"Saren wouldn't tell me his destination. But he possesses another facility on the planet Virmire. It is the most likely of places that he will be." said Benezia.

"What about the Rachni Queen? We can't just leave it." said Garrus.

The dead Asari stood on shaking legs before stumbling in the group's direction. Jane approached the large container with Jason at her side. The Rachni Queen spun around and screeched at her making the Commander stumble back a step and bumping into the walking corpse.

Everyone aimed a weapon or charged biotics as the Asari stood in front of the container and faced them. Jason, who hadn't even flinched during all of this merely turned to the walking corpse.

 _ **"This one...serves as our voice. We cannot sing. Not in these low spaces. Your musics are colorless..."**_ spoke the Asari.

"Musics?" asked Jane confused.

 _ **"Your way of communicating is strange...flat. It does not color the air. When we speak, one moves all. We are the...mother. We sing for those left behind. The children you thought silenced...we are Rachni."**_ said the corpse.

Jason looked down at the Queen as she looked right back at him. "The Queen. She's speaking through the dead Asari like a puppet so we can understand her." he said getting their attention.

The Queen tilted its head, _**"Your...songs are different...like many strings being plucked at once. Making a whole symphony. You are different..."**_

He felt a presence pushing on his mind. **"Neurological Intrusion Detected."** said SECOND.

"Allow it SECOND." ordered Jason as he felt what could only be described as a small warm breeze coating his mind. Filling every part as it tried to understand.

 _ **"You sing of strength...of valor. We sense this within you. But we also sense chaos and undertones of loneliness that taint your songs. Disrupting its purity. Your heart is clouded by pain...it must be mended for your songs to truly flourish once more. Only then, can you truly achieve what you desire."**_ said the Queen.

Jason felt the presence leave his thoughts. Jane walked up next to him and laid a hand on his arm. He looked back as her and saw concern in her green eyes, the subtle signs that said that they would talk later.

With a nod he turned to the corpse, "What of your children? The ones taken from you."

 _ **"They were stolen before they could learn to sing. They are lost to the silence. You have freed them of their pain. An act we thank you for."**_ said the Queen. _**"We now stand before you, what will you sing? Will you release us? Are we to fade away once more?"**_

"They have suffered enough from us." said Benezia approaching the glass and resting a hand on it. "Part of which was my doing." She looked at Jane and Jason. "She has committed no harm to anyone. She is unlike her ancestors and has learned from their mistakes. Let this be the first atonement for the horrors I have inflicted. Allow her to live. Please."

 _ **"Your songs...are free of darkness. You now sing of purity and truth. We forgive."**_ said the Queen making the Matriarch smile.

Jason looked at Jane, "I agree with Benezia. Her children were not really 'her's'. What do you think Jane?"

Shepard looked to the Queen before walking over to the terminal nearby. She cast a smile the creature's way before pressing several buttons. "We won't destroy your race...you will go free."

 _ **"You will give us the chance to compose anew? We will remember. We will sing of your forgiveness to our children."**_ the body collapsed to the ground as the containment unit rose. The Queen looked down on the group one last time before disappearing from sight.

"Well...this has been one hell of a day." said Garrus. "Anyone else feel like getting wasted?"

Everyone had a laugh, the tension finally leaving them after the ordeal they each had to face.

Benezia looked at the two Spectres. "I was true with my words. I will do whatever I can to undo my wrongs. I will help you stop Saren, if you will give me the chance to do so."

Jane crossed her arms and bit her lip in thought. She then looked to Jason, "Are you completely sure you cleared her mind of indoctrination?"

Jason nodded, "I did one final scan before we separated. SECOND just finished going over it and found no traces of the corruption. Lady Benezia is herself again."

The Matriarch turned to her daughter, "Liara...I am sorry for everything that has happened. Can you find it in your heart to-" she was cut off when the younger Asari wrapped her arms around her mother and held her tightly.

"You were not yourself mother, there is nothing to forgive." said Liara with tears in her eyes.

Benezia embraced her daughter with tears in her eyes as well, sending silent prayers to Athame for allowing her to hold her child again and to have her mind clear once more. She looked at the Post-Human and sent a prayer for him as well for giving her this chance, despite the risks.

Jason smiled at the scene before him. He had changed things big time in doing this. And the repercussions could be dire later on. But at the moment he didn't care, because he knew somewhere down the road it would be worth it.

 **X**

 **A/N: And with one well thought out plan, the game has been changed yet again. But by how much still remains unknown.**

 **Still on a roll folks, so stay tuned!**


	37. Chapter 36

**A/N: Another day, another cluster of updates ready for the masses. And I think it's time for our nano soldier and favorite Commander to get on the same 'level' if you know what I mean.**

 **X**

 **Unknown Space**

 **August 14, 2183 - 12:21 hours**

The cold metal walls gave off a loud hum from the countless cybernetics contained in them. Saren sat in a chair in the center of a dark room, sharp talon tapping the arm of the chair as he glared into the darkness before him. "Benezia's been freed, she's most likely with the two Humans." he hissed menacingly.

A low bellowing horn resounded through the room, along with a bright red light. Saren clutched his head. "How is that possible?" he asked as the pain subsided. "How was he able to break your teachings from her mind?"

The sound and light resounded again. "You are right...he needs to be eliminated for our plans to come to fruition."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **August 14, 2183 - 13:03 hours**

The whole team had assembled in the comm room. Everyone who wasn't on the mission had already been briefed on everything that had happened at Peak 15, including freeing Benezia from Saren's influence and releasing the Rachni.

Wrex had been pretty pissed about the liberation of a species his kind had tried to wipe out centuries ago. But Jane and Jason calmed him down enough to settle for destroying the bugs should they rise up again.

The crew had been on pins and needles about Benezia being on the _Normandy._ But after explaining the situation, and having Chakwas examine the Matriarch just to be sure, everything settled back down and the elder Asari could walk through the ship without having armed guards following her around.

"Sounds like things got pretty dicey out there." said Kaidan as they all got settled.

"It was, though we all got through it in one piece which is all that matters." said Jane as she and Jason stood at the head of the room.

"I still cannot thank you enough for freeing me. You've given me a chance to help put an end to Saren's plans at your side." said Benezia from her spot next to Liara.

"It's good to have you on our side, Lady Benezia." said Jason. "Even more so now that you won't shoot us in the back."

"What's our next step, head for the Mu Relay?" asked Ashley.

"The relay could lead to dozens of systems. If we don't know where Saren's going, we would be wasting our time." said Garrus.

"He's right, we can't rush off blindly. We need to figure out more on Saren and go from there." said Jane looking at Benezia. "Benezia, is there anything else you can tell us about Saren's operations?"

"His mind is a field, it is hard to understand exactly what his plans are. He revealed very little to me, but I was told of a secret research facility he has stationed on the planet Virmire. That is the most likely of places he would be." explained the Matriarch.

"Do you know what he was researching?" asked Liara.

Benezia shook her head. "I'm afraid not. But he has large amount of security, both Geth and Krogan, protecting the facility. Whatever he is working on is very important to what he has planned."

"Then that's our next stop. We've already sent our reports to the Council, we can head out when we get confirmation from them." said Jason. "If we're hitting a heavily fortified facility then we might need a little backup."

Jane nodded, "Agreed. Until then the crew is allowed shore leave while we restock the _Normandy_. Dismissed."

The team all stood and filed out of the room, Liara and Benezia together as they decided to spend a little more time talking to one another. Ever since the two had reconciled they had spent a good amount of time together to make up for lost time.

The two Spectres stood together in silence for a few moments. Jane turned to Jason who was staring off into space. "You okay?" she asked.

Jason's thoughts had been a little chaotic since the end of the mission. The images that passed through his head when he was breaking Benezia free of indoctrination had been plaguing him every so often. Almost similar to the visions Jane was having, but they were going through his mind too fast to focus on at the moment.

"I'm good. Just coming down from everything that had happened back at Peak 15. Breaking indoctrination wasn't easy." he said rubbing his eyes.

"What's the situation with that?" asked the Commander.

"Like I said back in the main lab, I only had enough material for one attempt. So I won't be able to do it again. But SECOND was able to isolate the corruption in the brainwave patterns and will be able to detect it should we come across someone else who is indoctrinated." explained the nano soldier.

Jane nodded, "That's good. If Saren can control people's minds because of that ship of his it would be good to have a way to detect who is being controlled. The question is, what to do with them if we find them?"

"It all depends on the level of exposure. Benezia wasn't exposed very long which helped make it easier to take out the corruption." Explained Jason. "From what SECOND could gather, the longer you are exposed, the more permanent it becomes."

He looked at his fellow Spectre seriously. "As harsh as it is to say...they're better off dead. Their minds and bodies will no longer be their own. Just puppets to that bastard's will."

Shepard looked torn, the idea of someone controlling the thoughts and actions of others disturbed her to no end. And the thought of putting them down if they ever found more made it even worse. But she knew that Jason was right; there was nothing worse than losing yourself to the whim of someone else.

"We have shore leave for a little while until we hear from the Council. Do you have plans while we're still here on Noveria?" asked Jane as they headed out of the room.

Jason slipped his helmet on as they entered the CIC. "Take stock of my supplies. Might need to restock for when we hit Virmire."

"What about your bow?" asked Jane as they stopped by the galaxy map.

"I have plenty of arrows left. Just have to use the special ones sparingly for the time being." replied Jason.

Jane bit her lip, she looked a little unsure for a moment before meeting his gaze again. "You know, a lot of the crew are going out for drinks at the hotel bar we were at earlier. You're more than welcome to tag along."

The nano soldier searched her eyes. She was calm, but he could see the traces of hope in her jade orbs. "Sure, sounds like fun. Just gotta take care of checking over my equipment first."

Her eyes lit up a bit as she gave a small smile, "Good, I guess I'll see you there." she said before heading off toward the cockpit.

Jason watched her go for a few minutes before stepping through the door that lead to the crew deck and into the elevator to the cargo hold.

X

Joker sat in his usual spot going over a few readouts of the _Normandy's_ systems when he heard Jane approach. "Letting us off the hook for the night, Commander? It's a good idea considering these stiffs owe us for saving their asses." said the helmsmen.

"True, and I thought everyone deserved a break before we go after Saren again." said Shepard as she leaned against the wall of the bridge.

Joker looked over his shoulder, "You sure this isn't just a way for you to get closer to a certain tall, dark and scary super soldier?"

Jane shot him a warning look making the pilot raise his hands in surrender and face forward again. "I'm just saying, the way you too look at each other is pretty damn convincing. I mean you can practically see the tension."

"He's my partner Joker, and a friend." said the Commander.

The pilot smirked, "I'm sure, Shepard." he said going about his business.

Shaking her head, Jane turned and headed back toward the CIC. "Just let us know if the Council sends a message before we all head out." she called over her shoulder.

"I will. See you at the bar, Commander." Joker called back. A grin forming on his face as the thought about what might happen with Jane and Jason in the same place with drinks involved.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Hotel Lounge - Port Hanshan**

 **August 14, 2183 - 17:09 hours**

After checking through his equipment, Jason discovered that he had been right. His ammo supply for his Hammer was much lower than he had originally thought and he needed to restock on grenades. But he had plenty of arrows and a lot of components to make more should he need to.

Making quick visit to the requisition officer on the cargo deck, the nano soldier put his equipment away and went to his quarters to change before heading to the hotel lounge to meet up with the rest of the crew.

He stepped off the _Normandy_ a little while later in his combat boots, jeans and a red t-shirt under his leather jacket. The air was still frigid, but Jason was able to bare it as he stepped though the security checkpoint and into Port Hanshan after flashing his identification to the guards.

A short walk and elevator ride later the nano soldier was walking through the entrance to the hotel lounge and into the bar where everyone had already started having fun.

"Jason! Over here!" He looked to the back where the ground team sat at two tables in the corner. Jane, Garrus, Wrex and Kaidan sitting at one. Ashley, Liara, Benezia, Joker and Tali at the other.

He walked across the bar as Garrus waved him over. Taking a seat next to Jane as drinks were passed around. "I miss anything?" he asked taking a glass and drinking half it's contents. The familiar burn of whisky going down his throat making him grin.

"Just watching to see who will pass out first between Garrus and Wrex." said Kaidan as the Turian and Krogan were downing shot after shot in a contest of wills.

Jane smiled into her glass, "Glad you could make it."

Jason smiled back before finishing off his drink and ordering another. "I wouldn't miss this. A little time off between missions is good for anyone."

"Especially after the amount of fighting we've had to do." said Ashley before going back to the discussion she was having with Tali about the best way to upgrade certain weapon mods.

"Kind of makes you wonder how the rest of this mission is going to play out." said Garrus knocking back another Turian brandy. "Saren's gotta be running out of places to hide at this point. It's only a matter of time before we corner him."

"Until then we can kick back and blow the hell out of his little pet projects along the way." added Wrex as he drank his rancol.

Jane raised her glass, "To another successful mission. And a quick end to Saren." Everyone raised their glasses in agreement.

"This is an interesting crew. I look forward to working with you all." said Benezia sipping the glass of Asari wine before her.

"It has definitely been an interesting experience for me thus far mother." said Liara. "I admit I felt a little out of place at first, but we all seem to fit together well with one another on and off the field of battle."

"That's how friends and crew mates are suppose to be, Liara." said Jane. "Almost like a family. We're there for each other when the others need it."

Wrex barked a laugh, "Great, I spend my time blasting whelps to pieces and you make me sound like some kind of weak princess."

"Aw Wrex, don't worry about that. We all still think your a badass Warlord with a license to kill." said Jason making everyone chuckle. The Krogan waved him off and chugged another glass of ryncol.

The night progressed from there. Drinking and conversations among one another as the crew had a great time. At one point Ashley had pulled the rest of the women to the nearby dance floor as a good song came on.

Benezia returned to the _Normandy_ saying that her 'partying days' were behind her while the rest of them continued on.

Jason leaned against the bar as he watched the crew dance. He noticed that Ash and Garrus were getting a little close on the dance floor making the nano soldier wonder what might be happening between the two of them.

The Gunnery Chief's xenophobia had dropped by a lot since he first talked to her about it. Now she hung around Tali, Liara, Garrus and Wrex like any other crew member. Though she seemed to have a stronger friendship with Garrus over the others. He had seen the two of them either modding weapons or at the shooting range together every so often.

He looked across the bar and saw Joker and Tali sitting in the booth where everything started. Joker wasn't up for obvious reasons. As for Tali...well she seemed to be keeping the pilot company. The two were having an animated conversation about something, oblivious to what everyone else was doing.

Wrex was at the other booth still pounding the ryncol. Telling stories of his past conquests to a few of the crewmen that had come out. The Humans were both in awe and afraid as the Warlord slapped his hand on the table loudly and bellowed a laugh after telling them how he nearly scared a group of Blue Suns mercs so bad they nearly shit their armor.

The Post-Human's eyes went back to the dance floor where they caught the sight of something that got his heart racing.

Jane was dancing with Ash, Liara and a few other female crew members. Her body moving like water, hips swaying in tune with the beat of the song playing as she got into it.

Jason felt his mouth go dry. Unlike how the game presented her, Shepard _could_ dance. His eyes couldn't tear away from the Commander as her movements went from slow and steady to fast and flexible as the song changed.

"Enjoying the view?" Jason shook his head and looked to his left to see Kaidan leaning against the bar next to him.

"Uhh, yeah. I kinda was." said the nano soldier knowing he had been caught staring.

The Lieutenant grinned, "You know, you and the Commander aren't as subtle as you may think. The amount of tension between the two of you is so thick most can't breath half the time." he said taking a swig of the beer in his hand.

"Tension? What tension?" asked Jason, playing stupid.

Kaidan gave him a look. "You're a soldier. The shit you've gone through would have scarred even the most veteran of N7 commandos. But you're a horrible lier when it comes to your emotions, Jason. The whole ground team can see the chemistry forming between the two of you." He shook his head, "Just admit it. You have feelings for Jane."

Jason looked back at the red headed firecracker on the dance floor as he thought over the biotic's words. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel something for Shepard. But with everything going on, it didn't seem like the time to be doing the whole courting thing.

"Maybe I do. But why would it matter?" asked the Post-Human drinking his own beer.

Kaidan rolled his eyes, "It matters, because I can see that she cares about you too. But anyone that knows her will tell you that it's normally hard for anyone to get into her heart. She's been through a lot in her life and forces her own problems away while helping people with theirs...until she met you."

Jason raised an eyebrow as the Lieutenant continued. "The minute you stepped on to the _Normandy_ she's become more peaceful than she was before. Whatever you two talk about in private has really helped her. You're one of only a small number who have ever gotten through to her. And that is a very big thing."

"I can understand that, Kaidan. But why are you telling me all of this? What's your stake in it?" asked Jason.

Kaidan sighed, "Me and Jane have known each other a while. Been on a few small missions together and became good friends. I've been there for her when she needed someone, but not in a romantic kind of way. We've been like brother and sister for a few years, always having each other's backs when the chips were down."

He looked at him in all seriousness, "That is my stake. If you truly care about her, be with her in the way she deserves. And if you hurt her in any way...I don't care how strong you are. I will crush you with my biotics and hurl you into the nearest star." his biotics flared around him for emphasis. "You understand?"

For a moment, Jason believed that Kaidan would carry out his threat no matter how stacked the odds were against him. The nano soldier just nodded seriously to the Lieutenant. "I get you, Kaidan. And I would put a bullet in my leg before ever hurting someone like her. But I honestly have no idea how to approach the situation. I've been out of the game for a while."

The biotic chuckled, "As cliche as this sounds. Just follow your gut. Take things slow and let it develop. But most of all, keep being there for her. She will never admit it, but Jane isn't as unbreakable as people believe her to be."

Jason nodded, "I know." he looked back out at Jane who was still dancing. Liara had gone over to the booth with Joker and Tali to take a break. Ashley and Garrus were no where in sight leaving the Commander on the floor among the other bar patrons.

Finishing off his beer, Jason stood up straight and walked to the dance floor up behind the distracted red head. "Mind if I join you?" he asked into her ear over the music.

Jane spun around and looked up at him, her green eyes a little clouded by alcohol as she grinned up at him. "You got the moves to keep up?" she asked swinging her hips from side to side.

"I'm bold enough to find out." he said as he too got into the rhythm. Jane started dancing again, but her body started to migrate closer to her fellow Spectre to the point where she was almost pressed against him.

Jason took a few deep breaths as they danced together. The nanites in his system may make it harder for him to get drunk. The same could not be said for Shepard, who had several drinks throughout the evening and it could be seen clearly in her moves and her eyes.

These thoughts, of course, came to a halt when the Commander's firm round ass pressed against his pelvis making him gulp. Her arms reached up and wrapped around his neck and she began grinding against him making it harder to focus as the beat pounded through the room.

Fighting against his arousal, Jason held her hips as they continued to move together.

Jane spun around, her arms snaking around his neck again. Keeping her body as close to his as possible allowing her to feel _everything_. She leaned up and put her lips to his ear, "Jason...am I getting you too hot?"

The Post-Human swallowed the dry lump in his throat. "Nope, I'm fine." he said keeping his voice as steady as possible.

Leaning back, Jane looked at him with drunk, smoldering eyes. "You know...you're a very attractive man. Any woman in the verse would do anything to be with someone like you." she said running a hand down his chest under his jacket.

"Strong, brave, a good listener, and a big heart." she said keeping her gaze on his own. "You're a good man."

Jason felt touched at her words. But also knew that things could degrade out of control quickly while she was in her current state. "Thank you, Jane." he said reaching up and stopping her hand from running up and down his torso.

The Commander grinned again, "I like it when you say my name." she said huskily reaching up with her other hand and stroking his cheek.

 _"She's Drunk! She's Drunk! She's Drunk!"_ he chanted in his head to keep his libido from taking over. "It's getting late. Maybe we should get back to the ship." he said shaking himself a little.

Eye's hooded, Jane nodded slowly as the nano soldier slowly helped her out of the lounge. Letting a few of the still sober members of the team know they were heading back. Joker gave them a knowing grin and a thumbs up making Tali slap his arm gently in warning.

It was early in the morning by the time Jason got a stumbling Jane Shepard back on to the ship. It reached the point where he had to pick her up and carry her bridal style while she giggled in his arms.

 _"For such an effective leader on the battlefield, she's a completely different person after one too many."_ he thought as he made his way carefully through the ship with a squirming Commander.

Thankful that the crew was either out having a good time or asleep. No one saw either of them as they passed through the empty CIC toward the crew deck. "Okay. Time for bed Jane.'' he said, reaching her quarters and managing to get the door open with out jostling her too much.

"Don't...wanna." she muttered into his neck as the door sealed behind them. Jason's back went ramrod straight when he felt her teeth start nibbling on the skin of his neck .

"J-Jane." he groaned as she moved up his neck and licked the shell of his ear.

"Jason." she whispered sliding out of his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist and rolled her hips into his. "I want you. I've wanted you for some time now." she slurred in between each stroke. "But I've been so afraid that you would reject me...but I can't help myself right now."

Jason was living every man's dream at that point. A beautiful woman was grinding hard against him wanting him to take her in the most carnal of ways. And damn it to hell, he wanted to grant her wish in every way she wanted.

But his morals fought hard against his body. She was drunk and acting off of instincts instead of logic and he knew that it could cause problems between them if they gave in.

Fighting hard against the feelings coursing through him, Jane slid down his body until her feet touched the floor. Grabbing the hem of her navy blue shirt and peeling it off of her body revealing her breasts contained tightly in a red lace bra. _"Oh my fucking god..."_ he thought, eyes zeroing in on her chest on their own accord.

"Come on, _Maverick."_ she purred, stumbling forward on drunk legs until she was pressed against him again. Reaching up and running her hands on his chest. "Show me what you can do."

Jason reached up and held her face in his hands. Resting his forehead against hers, "I'm sorry, Jane. Not like this." he pressed a pressure point on her neck and she fell limp in his arms.

Slipping her shirt back on, he picked her up and carried her over to her bed. Laying her down and covering her with the sheet before running a hand gently over her hair. "I'm not turning you down, darlin. But we both need to be sober before we start doing this." he said sincerely.

"I like you a lot, Jane. And I won't jeopardize that until I know you're ready." that being said he quietly left the room and made a b-line for the elevator. Riding it down to the cargo bay and heading for the shower room in the gym.

He needed a shower...a cold, _cold_ shower.

As he walked past the Mako, he heard giggling and what resembled purring.

Jason shook his head and practically ran into the gym and into the showers. _"Sometimes I fucking hate my life."_ he thought quickly stripping his clothes and leaping into the ice cold torrent.

X

 **Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **August 15, 2183 - 13:00 hours**

Jane pinched the bridge of her nose as her hangover continued to pound the inside of her head. After the party they had the night before a couple of people on the ship had the same thing and were just trying to survive the day.

But at the moment she and Jason had a meeting with the Council and to say that they weren't happy would have been a monumental understatement.

Finding out that the two Spectres had not only unleashed the Rachni on the galaxy, but also had someone on the _Normandy_ who had until recently been under the employment of a rogue Spectre. The constant bickering from the Councilors wasn't doing her headache any favors.

"Councilors! If we will be allowed to speak." exclaimed Jason making the Commander cringe a little. He gently tapped her hand with his own as a silent apology. "If you read our reports than you understand that Benezia is no longer a threat. Dr. Chakwas' medical report should have provided additional support."

"We have, Maverick. We just want to express our position on the matter." said Tevos.

"This 'indoctrination' that Benezia has spoken of is troubling. The ability to control someone's mind is a horrendous thing to possess." said Valern. "And the fact that Saren has such an ability is not a good thing."

"We were surprised too." said Jane as the throbbing in her head died down. "Benezia mentioned that Saren's ship had something to do with it. Is there any kind of information on something having this kind of effect on the crew?"

"None. Which is also troubling." replied the Salarian Councilor. "If being exposed for long periods of time causes the effects to be permanent, who knows what else such a vessel could be capable of."

"The way you were able to break it is very confusing. You mind explaining this to us, Maverick?" asked Sparatus looking at the nano soldier pointedly.

"Lucky break. And a one time thing I'm afraid, I lack the proper resources to do so again. But we now have a way to detect when someone is indoctrinated and that will provide us an edge." explained Jason.

"Indeed." said Valern. "And the situation with the Rachni?"

"The Queen has learned from the mistakes of her ancestors. She's...different, and understands why they had to be wiped out the last time around." said Jane.

"I hope your right, or our children's children will be paying the price if you're wrong." said Sparatus.

"We also have information for you about the planet Virmire mentioned in your report." said Tevos.

"It just so happens that one of our STG teams was sent to investigate the planet. They were silent for a long while until we received a distress signal." said Valern. "The signal couldn't be understood very well, but we can gather that the infiltration team has run into problems."

"If this is one of Saren's hiding places, then it would be in your interest to investigate the situation out there." said Tevos.

"We'll get it done." said Jason as the holograms fading.

Jane let out a sigh and rubbed her temples, "Talking with them is never easy with a hangover." Jason outstretched his arm and held out a small pill bottle full of aspirin for her that she gladly accepted.

The Post-Human turned to leave when the Commander spoke out. "Jason, wait." he stopped in mid-step and looked back at her. She bit her lip and rolled the pill bottle between her hands, "Last night...did anything happen? I know I had too much to drink and most of the night was a blur. But I have this feeling that..." she couldn't find the words to finish.

Jason was silent a moment before taking a deep breath. Pulling off his helmet as he turned to face her fully. "You want the truth?" he asked seriously.

The Commander bit her lip again wondering if she really did or not. "Did I do something stupid? Embarrassing?" she asked hesitantly.

The nano soldier shook his head with a light chuckle. "Nothing extranet worthy, believe me. But..." he took another deep breath. "We danced for a bit, but you were pretty drunk, so I decided to help you back to the ship."

Jane's breath hitched. They danced together?

"We got back here with no problems, but you had trouble staying on your feet so I carried you to your quarters." Jason continued. "Got you there and...I put you in your bed for the night." he said quickly.

The Commander caught the hesitation in his voice and crossed her arms, "Jason. What happened?" she asked in a tone she only reserved for military officials.

Jason sighed, "You...well...came on to me."

Those few words caused all the color to drain out of Jane's face. Out of all of the things that could have happened, this terrified her to the core. She swallowed the lump in her throat as her heart started beating oddly. "O-Oh..." she squeezed out after a bit. Jason nodded slowly, worried that her reaction could get worse.

"Umm...how...how bad...was it?" she asked worried about the answer.

"Things got a bit heavy, you took your shirt off and told me to pretty much take you to bed'. So I pushed a pressure point on your neck to knock you out." he explained causing a good portion of her unease to lift. "I redressed you, put you into bed, and left."

Jane went from pale to tomato red in moments, "So...we didn't-?"

Jason shook his head, "We didn't have sex. Though you made it pretty hard to turn down." he said with a grin that caused her face to turn even redder.

Setting his helmet down in a nearby chair, he stepped forward until he was right in front of her. "I do have to ask something though." he said being serious again. "Last night, you said some things. I just wanted to make sure that they were true or not."

Swallowing again, Jane nodded. Curious and a little afraid about what her fellow Spectre was going to ask her.

"Jane, do you have feelings for me?" asked the nano soldier searching her face and eyes with a calculating gaze.

The Commander's world came to a halt. She felt like she couldn't breath and her heart was doing flips.

"I...I don't..." she fumbled with her words and mentally cursed herself. It was hard to understand how a simple question could have such a reaction on a war hero like her. But the simplicity of it and the burning look the one who asked it was giving her made it a little hard to focus.

Jason saw her struggling and stepped in, "You don't have to say anything if you're not ready to. I don't want to force it out of you, I much rather you tell me when you want to." he said placing a hand gently on her upper arm.

Her green eyes locked with his cobalt ones. Jane felt her insides warm up just seeing those orbs that reminded her of a lake she loved to frequent on Mindoir.

She so badly wanted to say yes. To throw her arms around the man before her and never let go like a love struck teenager. But their mission was too important to let them get distracted by each other.

Jane knew that it was a pathetic excuse. The real reason was that she was afraid. Afraid of being rejected, of being in a relationship, but most of all she was afraid of the emotions that Jason had invoked in her since they started getting closer.

She'd never been like this with anyone before. And for the first time in her life, Commander Jane Shepard didn't have a plan.

"Jason, it's just that-" he held up a hand to stop her.

"I understand, Jane. Really. The mission takes priority." he gave her an understanding smile. "We'll just hold off on this kind of talk until Saren's dealt with. Just the two of us, sound good?"

The red-head smiled back, "Okay. We will, I promise." she said just above a whisper.

Jason nodded and picked up his helmet before heading to the door, "Oh, and Jane?" he looked back at her with a smile that made her knees buckle a little. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel something for you too."

With that he pulled his helmet back on and left the comm room. Leaving a blushing Commander behind.

 **X**

 **A/N: And much like the game itself, the romance option has been brought into the open and can be further explored at a later date. And with Virmire drawing closer, things are bound to get tense from here on out.**

 **I got more updates coming folks, so don't go far.**


	38. Chapter 37

**A/N: As promised, and so it shall be, I bring another update for thee!...gotta love haiku.**

 **X**

 **Jason'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Mess Hall**

 **August 15, 2183 - 15:30 hours**

Jason sat at one of the empty tables in the mess hall having an early dinner in his crew uniform.

They were enroute to Virmire and would arrive within the next day or so. Which gave the team and crew plenty of time to prepare themselves for what they would face once they made landfall.

During this time, Jason had been thinking of every conceivable plan in trying to make sure that everyone made it out of there alive. Building scenarios with SECOND from the memories he had from the game to find the best possible way to go about it. But no matter how much the nano soldier planned just one thing always stood out.

This wasn't some game anymore. And events have already changed by large margins. A good example being his arrival and another being Benezia, free of indoctrination and now a part of the team and helping them fight Saren.

Jason dropped his fork and pushed the tray from him, no longer hungry as he leaned back in his seat.

The situation regarding him and Jane wasn't doing any favors either. The beautiful red headed Commander was constantly in his thoughts before. Now that he had a little insight into her feelings it became more prominent now. The last thing he expected was falling for, by all rights, the hero of the Mass Effect universe.

Seeing a character on a tv screen is one thing, but to meet them in person, to learn about them on a deep level and form a bond with them through respect and friendship...it was something else.

Jane was naturally charismatic, it flowed with her aura of leadership and it was hard not to be pulled into her gravity. And boy did she pull the nano soldier in.

"You seem troubled." Jason looked up and saw Benezia sit down across from him.

"In a matter of speaking." he said leaning forward. "You fitting in well with the rest of the crew okay?"

The Matriarch nodded, "Yes, I understood their hesitance at first. But now they seem to trust me. Or at the very least tolerate my presence. And it has been very comforting to be able to speak with my daughter again. I've missed her."

The nano soldier nodded, "She's a good person. And a great member of the team. We wouldn't have been able to get this far without her."

Benezia smiled, "She has never made me more proud." she regarded the man across from her. "I still wish to thank you Jason, for all that you've done. And know that your identity will remain with me until it is my time to embrace the Goddess."

Jason smiled back, "Thank you, Lady Benezia. I appreciate that." he said letting out a breath.

"What ales you child?" asked the Asari.

"Many things." said Jason rubbing the stubble on his head. "My past, the mission, the future. Sometimes it's hard to keep it all in focus."

Benezia nodded slowly, "With everything that has occurred, it is understandable to feel a bit overwhelmed. Even the greatest of warriors feel the strain of what goes on around them. No matter how much they fight within themselves to keep it together, the burden can become too much to bare."

The nano soldier smirked, "Believe me, I understand a lot better than many would think. It's never been hard for me to put all of this aside before. I just can't comprehend why it bugs me so much now."

The Matriarch observed the man before her and smiled, "This is more than just the mission. This is also involves the matters of the heart."

Jason's eyes widened. "Child, I have been alive for centuries. I can see when one has deep feelings for another." said Benezia reaching out to touch his hand. "I see the way you look at the Commander. And the way she looks at you. I have never seen such compatible souls in a long time. On the battlefield your minds are linked, you know when the other needs assistance even before they do. Off of it you find it difficult to be apart because you miss the other's aura."

"Even now she is in your thoughts, is she not?" asked the elder Asari.

The Post-Human rubbed his eyes, "Yes. I'd...dammit, I'd do anything for her. But with everything going on right now..." he admitted in frustration.

"Then you wait." said Benezia soothingly. "The heart truly does grow fonder. And I believe that you and the Commander have a powerful connection. One that cannot be broken by any conceivable means." standing slowly she spoke again, "I speak from experience, child. I hope it helps." she gave a nod before heading off elsewhere.

Jason thought over her words and felt a little more at ease than he did before. Maybe he was overthinking everything too much. He just needed to clear his head and focus on one thing before jumping on to another.

Movement out of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. Ashley walked into the mess hall and started gathering a plate. He picked up the slight limp she had and the wince on her face with each step she made with her right leg.

Raising an eyebrow, she watched her cross the room and sit at his table with a mumbled 'hello'.

"You okay, Ash? You look a bit sore." Jason commented.

Ashley froze in mid-bite. A slight blush covering her tan cheeks. "Must have pulled something dancing last night. Knew I should have stopped after three shots." she said with a chuckle that didn't quite fit.

He wasn't buying it. The limping was a dead giveaway...so was the small bite marks on her neck just under the collar of her uniform.

The sound of the medbay doors opening caused Jason to crane his head. Garrus walked out, Chakwas handing him a bottle with some kind of liquid in it. "This should help with any reactions. Just try to be more careful next time, Mr. Vakarian." said the doctor in a stern tone.

The Turian nodded and put the bottle in his pocket before entering the mess hall. Freezing when he caught sight of Ashley looking back at him. "Uhh, hi." he said nervously.

Ashley's blush increased. "Hi." she said back.

The awkwardness in the air could practically be tasted. Jason looked between the two and couldn't help but grin when it all fell into place.

He stayed silent as Garrus got his dextro-based dinner before joining them. After a few moments of silence, Jason couldn't help himself anymore. "So Garrus...how did your reach fare with Ash's flexibility?"

Ashley spat out her drink and Garrus choked on the bite he had just taken. Both coughing like crazy while Jason was laughing his ass off.

Both glared at the nano soldier when they got themselves under control. "How did...you know?" asked Ashley with tears in her eyes from coughing so hard.

"I heard you guys last night in the cargo bay." said Jason as Ash was turning a new shade of red. "And no I'm not going to pick on you guys too much for it." he said making them look at him.

"Why? You teased the hell out of Reena and Chellick before they got together." said Garrus not believing him.

Jason shrugged, "I have my moments of pulling punches, besides you guys look good together too." Ash and Garrus shared glances and looked away from each other making him grin wider. "Ash, I've known Garrus here for a couple of years. He's a good guy, trust me. And you both are from strong military families, there's a lot of common ground there."

The Gunnery Chief fiddled with her fork trying not to look at anyone. Garrus tapped his mandibles as he looked at the table.

"Whether it was a drunken one night stand or not guys, I've seen the chemistry between the two of you." said Jason honestly. "Just...be careful with the whole allergic reaction thing." he looked at Ashley pointedly, "You may wanna see Chakwas before the chaffing rashes get worse. The bite marks too."

Ashley reached up and pulled her collar up a little higher while Garrus scratched the back of his neck nervously.

Jason stood and smiled at them before heading to his quarters.

The Turian and Human remained seated in the empty mess hall for a few moments. "I think we should talk." said Ashley looking up. Garrus nodded in agreement as they began to hash things out together.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Bridge**

 **August 17, 2183 - 09:20 hours**

Jason and Jane stood together behind Joker as they made the approach to Virmire. The pilot had made several attempts to contact the STG team and nothing came back meaning that there were most likely signal jammers in place.

"Still not getting anything on the Salarians, but I'm picking up the same distress signal close to some kind of facility at these coordinates." said Joker bringing up a few displays. "I'm also picking up several AA guns stationed around the area. Too hot for us to get in."

"That must be Saren's research base." said Jane looking over the readings.

"With the AA guns in place the _Normandy_ will be blown out of the sky before we make landfall. We'll have to be dropped in the Mako just out of their range and take them out on foot so Joker here can land closer." said Jason.

The Commander nodded before looking back to the pilot, "Take us in Joker and make the drop. We'll clear the way for you." she said as she and Jason headed toward the cargo hold.

"Aye, aye." said Joker as he got ready to go in.

X

The two Spectres grabbed Kaidan and Garrus along the way and piled into the rover as they got ready to be dropped in. "Jason, your driving this time?" asked Kaidan as Jane climbed into the turret.

"Thought I'd give you guys a break from Jane's crazy ass driving." he said earning a kick in the back of the head from the Commander.

 _'Were almost at the LZ guys. Get ready.'_ said Joker of the comms as the cargo bay doors opened revealing the paradise-like world of Virmire as they flew in closer. Jason hit the switch and the Mako started rolling. _'In three...two...one...GO!'_

Jason stepped on the gas and flew out of the hanger. Quickly activating the thrusters as all six wheels hit the ground and skidded to a stop. "Good work Joker, clean drop. Keep yourself at a safe distance until those towers are down." said Jane as Jason began driving down the water covered path.

 _"I know the drill. Meet you guys at the STG base once the towers are offline. Joker out."_

The Mako rounded a few bends in the river as the team traveled farther in. Jason's HUD showed a readout of the area as Kaidan marked the path for them to go through. **"Hostiles Detected."** warned SECOND.

Jane aimed the cannon and blew two Geth rocket drones away giving them an opening to pass. "How many Geth do you think Saren has stationed here?" asked the Commander as she checked for more.

"More than enough for us to be concerned." replied Jason as they kept going.

They encountered roughly a dozen more Assault and Rocket drones along the river. A Juggernaut had been among them but had met a satisfying end end vai one of the rover's front wheels. "And you said _my_ driving was crazy?" said Jane blasting a Shock Trooper away as they passed through a Geth encampment.

"Hey, it popped up in front of me." said Jason as he activated the thrusters to jump over an incoming rocket.

Kaidan and Garrus rolled their eyes as they rolled up to a facility where the first AA gun was stationed. After clearing out what they could with the Mako's turret, the team got out with their weapons ready as they stormed the building.

Jason raised his assault rifle and took down a Geth Trooper as they reached the top of the structure. Jane's shotgun and Garrus' rifle registered nearby as two more platforms fell over dead.

"Let's get that gun offline, come on." said Jane as they approached the room that had been built into the rock face next to the checkpoint.

The squad saw movement inside and got into cover on either side of the opening. "Kaidan, hit'em with a singularity." said Jason. The Lieutenant nodded, charging his biotics before throwing the energy into the room.

When it detonated, three Stalkers were pulled into the gravity-well allowing the team to pick them off easier. They stormed the room ready for more but found it empty. Kaidan headed over to the panel that controlled the guns and hacked into it. A few minutes later they all walked out as the guns powered down.

"That's one down." said Garrus as Jason started the Mako back up and went through the checkpoint. **"Incoming Ordinance."** said SECOND as a large plasma bolt barely missed hitting the front end of the vehicle.

"Colossus!" shouted Jane as she swung the cannon around and began blasting away at the large Geth. Jason spun the wheel to avoid another blast from the platform's main gun while the Commander kept the pressure on.

The Colossus braced itself and fired another plasma blast that the nano solder was barely able to avoid. The Mako's shields dropped a little from the close call making Jason curse. "We have to take this thing out before we take a direct hit."

Jane fired another blast from the cannon knocking the Geth's shields out completely. Jason spun the rover around again until they were facing the Colossus. "Jason?" said Jane wondering what the nano soldier was up too.

"You guys better hang on to something!" he shouted gunning the accelerator and sending them speeding toward the hostile. The squad braced themselves as the Mako rammed into the large synthetic. Its front legs crumpling under the strike and collapsing on to the ground and crunching under the heavy wheels as they drove over it and continued on.

Jason let out a breath as they moved back on the path, "Everyone okay?" he asked looking over his shoulder.

"When this is over, your done being the driver." said Jane shaking her head and blasting an Armature that tried to flank them. Kaidan and Garrus groaned in agreement as they righted themselves after the sudden tactic.

The Post-Human shrugged before running down a Shock Trooper in their way before continuing.

It had taken them all another 15 to 20 minutes, fighting through several Geth blockades and squadrons waiting for them before they shut down the final AA gun and giving the _Normandy_ a big enough opening to move in and approach the STG camp set up close to the facility.

The Mako followed along on the ground when Joker contacted them. _"Commander, Maverick,_ Normandy's _touched down at the base, but it looks like we're grounded. The Salarian Captain can explain when you get here."_

"Gotcha Joker. We're almost there." said Jane as they turned one last bend in the river and approached the small military instillation set up on a river bank nearly two clicks from the target location.

Jason pulled the Mako over on the shore and they piled out while Ashley was speaking with the Salarian Captain in charge. "So what are we suppose to do?" asked the Gunnery Chief.

"Stay put until we can come up with a plan." replied the Salarian as Jane and Jason approached them.

"Are you in charge? What's the situation?" asked Jane.

"Captain Kirrahe, Third Infiltration Regiment STG." said the Captain. "And your crew have just landed in the middle of a hot zone. Every AA gun within ten miles had been alerted to your presence."

"And what do we do while we wait?" asked Jason.

"We stay put until the Council sends the reinforcements we requested." said Kirrahe.

The two Spectres looked at each other, "We're all that they sent. Your distress signal was hard to understand and they sent us to investigate." said the Commander.

Kirrahe rubbed his eyes in frustration, "I lost half my men _investigating_ this place. We would need a fleet to take this facility out."

"What did you find?" asked Jason.

"Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with Geth and is heavily fortified." said the Captain. "From what our teams have been able to catch from outgoing comm chatter, Saren's using the base to breed an army of Krogan."

Wrex stomped across the sand over hearding them, "How is that possible?" he rumbled.

"Apparently, he's discovered a cure for the genophage." said Kirrahe.

"The Geth are bad enough, but a Krogan army bred to fight for him would make Saren unstoppable." said Jane concerned.

Kirrahe nodded, "Exactly my thoughts. We must ensure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed."

"Destroyed? I don't think so." growled Wrex. "Our people are dying. This cure could save them."

"If the cure leaves this planet the Krogan will become unstoppable. We cannot afford to make the same mistake twice." said the Captain.

Wrex growled and got in the Salarian's face. "We are not a mistake!" he roared before stomping off and heading far down the beach.

Kirrahe looked back at them, "Is he going to be a problem? We have enough angry Krogan running around."

"The way I see it, he has a right to be pissed." said Jason crossing his arms. "And where do you get off treating his people like mistakes _Captain."_ he said strictly.

"The Krogan Rebellions comes to mind." said Kirrahe. "You have to understand that what my people did was-"

"Don't. You. Dare. Finish that sentence." Jason growled making the Salarian take a step back. "If the words, 'What my people did was for the good of the galaxy' leave your mouth, I will break both your legs like toothpicks. What your people did to the Krogan was an act boarding on a _war crime_. The Krogan had every right to be angry for the way the Council just cast them aside after doing their dirty work. And what did the Salarians do? Neuture them like they were rabid animals."

The nano soldier stepped forward and glared down at the Captain. "Can you honestly say they deserve what they got? No, you can't. Not until you look in the eyes of a Krogan mother as she buries her still born child, then try to tell them that what your people did was for the 'good of the galaxy'."

Kirrahe's eyes slowly dropped to the ground. Jason shook his head, "You have no right to feel guilt. Or shame. You and every Salarian alive may not have been responsible for the genophage. But you were all raised in believing that the Krogan deserved it. And that makes me fucking _sick_." he spun on his heel and stomped down the beach.

"Where are you going?" asked Jane who had stayed silent through the whole confrontation. In all honesty she was on Jason's side. After being around Wrex and listening to the old Krogan talk about his people and their past she knew they didn't deserve what happened to them.

Jason looked over his shoulder at her, "To talk to Wrex. And make sure he doesn't rip this camp a new one." he said resuming his trek.

X

The Warlord wasn't hard to find. He stood at the end of the beach, shotgun in hand blasting away at the water while trying to leviate his frustration.

"This isn't right! If there's a cure for the genophage we can't destroy it!" he exclaimed as Jason appoached him.

"I know your pissed off Wrex, but you have to consider all of the variables before going off half cocked." the Post-Human explained.

"What's there to consider? Saren found a cure for my people, and you want to destroy it. Help me out here Jason, the lines between friend and foe are getting a little blurry from where I'm standing." said Wrex looking like he was going to reach for his gun.

Jason raised his hands, "Wrex, just hear me out. You know better than anyone where I stand when it comes to the genophage."

The Krogan narrowed his eyes before backing off to let him speak. "Even if Saren has the cure in that facility, do you really think he will just hand it over?" asked the nano soldier. "He's breeding those Krogan to fight _for_ him. He's using them like tools that he'll discard when they are no longer of use."

He stepped forward until he and Wrex were eye to eye. "Is that how you want your people to go out Wrex? As slaves that are subservient to a _Turian_? And a traitor at that?"

The tension was thick. The two powerful warriors continued to glare at one another, but neither backing down as they made their stands.

After a long minute. Wrex took a step back. "Your right. We were tools to the Council once. As a reward they neutered us all. I doubt Saren will be as gracious."

Jason nodded, removing his helmet to look his friend in the eye. "I swear Wrex. If there is a cure for your people in there SECOND and I will find it. The Krogan will be free once more, and I'll do everything I can to help. As a fellow warrior," he held out his hand, "And a friend. I make this promise to you, Urdnot Wrex, and all Krogan who want peace."

Wrex grinned, grabbing the hand and shaking it. "You've learned our customs pretty well Jason. I accept this vow, as a member of Clan Urdnot, fellow warrior, and friend as well. And know that my promise to you also still stands."

The two chuckled before heading back to the camp where everyone was waiting. "50 creds says I kill more Geth in that place than you." said Jason pulling his helmet back on.

The Krogan gave a sadistic grin, "You're on, _Maverick_."

 **X**

 **A/N: I have to say, DFX's pairing ideas were interesting ones. Ashley/Garrus romances are rare, so I'm sticking with it for the sake of not only the plot of this story, but for the uniqueness of it as well. So for those that are still in it and haven't seen the original Crysis Effect, be prepared for several more pairings that many haven't seen before.**

 **More to come folks!**


	39. Chapter 38

**A/N: Got another batch of updates for you guys!**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **STG Encampment - Virmire**

 **August 17, 2183 - 10:48 hours**

Everyone had spread out along the beach as the combined efforts of the STG Regiment and the crew of the _Normandy_ prepared themselves for the imminent assault on Saren's base.

Tensions had been high, especially with the possibility of Wrex going off the handle when he was told about the destruction of the cure for the genophage the traitor supposedly had. Thankfully, Jason's words seemed to have sunk into the Warlord and he remained a team player.

The nano soldier stood with Jane and Captain Kirrahe as they looked over a map readout of the facility two clicks away. "With a stronghold this large, we will need either an orbital strike, or enough ordinance to completely destroy it." said the Commander.

"Orbital bombardment wouldn't work." said Jason as he pointed to several spots within the structure. "Saren has several Geth signal jammers inside to disrupt that. And taking them out one by one will waste time. Coupled with the fact the building itself is built to withstand heavy damage from the outside. We need to take it all out in one shot."

"We've already come up with the right plan" said Kirrahe. "We've converted our ship's drive system into a twenty-kiloton ordnance. Crude, but effective."

The Salarian pointed at a marked location on the map, "Here, past the breeding sector is the perfect location to place it. Your ship can drop it off, but we need to infiltrate the base while disabling the AA guns and any ground forces first."

"Meeting their forces head on would be suicidal. Their numbers are greater." said Jane biting her lip.

"We might be able to work around that." said the Captain. "I'm going to divide my men into three teams and hit the front of the facility. While we've got their attention you can sneak a shadow team in the back."

"Your men will be slaughtered, Kirrahe." said Jason looking to the Salarian.

"We're tougher than we look. But it's true. I don't expect many of us to survive the assault. And that makes what I'm going to ask even more difficult." Kirrahe looked to the two Spectres. "I need one of your men to accompany me. To help coordinate the teams."

The rest of the ground team had approached during the conversation. "It's a big risk, but he's right. We're going to need both teams for this plan to work." said Kaidan. "I volunteer."

"Not so fast, LT. You'll be needed in arming the nuke. I'll go with the Salarians." said Ashley.

Kaidan turned to her, "With all due respect, Gunnery Chief, it's not your place to decide."

Ash sighed, "Why is it that whenever someone says 'with all due respect' they really mean 'kiss my ass'?"

"Both of these two will do. Both seem willing to sacrifice their lives if necessary, though if we are lucky, such sacrifices won't be required." said Kirrahe.

Jason looked to Shepard before looking back at the gathered squad. "I have a better idea." he said catching their attention. "Instead of one, we'll send two in each group. The Captain said that there will be three teams of his troops, an additional man leading the last team will help improve their odds. And while the shadow team enters the back, we can disable any and all the advantages that the Geth might have."

Jane nodded, "I like it." she looked at the team. "Williams, Garrus, you two are going with Kirrahe and his men. No heroics, understand?" Ashley and Garrus both nodded.

"Tali, we need you to assist Kaidan with the nuke preparation. We don't want the Geth to find a way to hack it and shut it down should it be left unattended." added Jason.

The young Quarian nodded as she and Kaidan headed back to the _Normandy_ to make sure everything was ready for the assault.

"That leaves Wrex and Liara, you both will be us on the shadow team. We'll enter the back of the facility when the time is right." said Jane.

"Commander, Maverick. If I may." Everyone looked and saw Benezia approaching them. Wearing a suit of armor with a pistol on her hip and a shotgun strapped to her back. "If you will have me, I would like to be a part of the team that enters. By biotics will be very helpful in your mission."

Jason looked at Jane before going back to the Matriarch. "You've had military training?"

Benezia smiled and summoned a bit of her biotics, "Asari Commando for 300 years, top of my class when I was younger. Retired when my matron days were approaching." she explained.

Both Spectres nodded, "Welcome aboard, Benezia." said Jane. Liara smiled at the prospect of fighting along side her mother as they all fell in.

"I'll have the ordnance loaded on to the _Normandy_ and brief the crew on its detonation sequencing." said the Captain. "Is there any questions either of you want answered?"

"If the _Normandy_ is picking us all up, how will your team escape the blast?" asked Jane.

"We will engage the Geth as long as possible. Once the bomb it in place, we will fall back to try and escape the blast radius. If we move quickly, we should be able to escape with acceptable casualties. If not, then our memories will live on as martyrs to a greater cause." said Kirrahe.

 _'Not if I can help it.'_ Jason thought to himself already having come up with several plans while they were planning the assault. "We're ready when you are Captain." he said out loud.

"Excellent. Then if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare my men." said the Salarian before walking away.

Jason watched Kirrahe gather his men and begin his speech, he pulled Garrus aside and brought up his omni-tool. "A little something to help you guys along." he said at the Turian's questioning glance.

Garrus' omni-tool pinged. He looked down and was shocked to see that it had a new upgrade. "What is this?" he asked looking over the new program carefully.

"New variant of overload me and SECOND have been working on. Designed to target and disable mutliple synthetics within a fifteen foot radius. I call it a cluster-overload." explained the nano soldier.

Shutting down his omni-tool, Garrus nodded to his friend. "Thanks, Jason."

Jason shook his hand, "Thank me by bringing yourself and Ash back alive. That's all the thanks I'll need."

When everything was said and done everyone separated and began their tasks. Ready to strike the base and put an end to Saren's plans.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Drake**

 **Outside Saren's Base - Virmire**

 **August 17, 2183 - 11:59 hours**

Shadow team dropped down from a rock formation and began to slowly make their way through the river banks that would take them to the back entrance to the facility. Jane and Jason leading with their weapons ready for anything.

 _"Comm check. Do either of you read me?"_ asked Kirrahe over the comms.

"Loud and clear." said Jane as they stayed low and kept moving.

 _"Good. We'll start our push. We'll try to make it to the AA guns, but it might be up to you to finish the job."_ said the Captain as the link ended.

Jason knelt down by some rocks and looked down the scope of his sniper rifle. Two Geth troopers stood a ways down river with their backs to them. "Got two." Jane pulled out her sniper rifle and aimed down sights. "You get the one on the right, I got left." said Jason.

His rifle cracked and the first Geth fell over with a hole through its head. A second crack followed and the other one fell before it turned around.

The team moved up as they heard the Salarian teams begin their attack over the radio. The river ended with a building that was built into the rock-face. A few Geth mingled around on guard duty as they slipped into cover.

Jason tagged the five synthetics on his HUD and signaled to the others. "Five. Two Snipers, one Trooper, one Rocket, one Destroyer."

Jane leveled her sniper rifle. "Benezia, lift the Destroyer when you hear us shoot. Liara, the Rocket Trooper. Wrex, any target of opportunity." Wrex pulled out his assault rifle and grinned with anticipation.

Two cracks were heard and two Snipers fell dead. The two Asari launched their biotics and levitated the two stronger Geth into the air while Wrex gunned down the last guard with his rifle as it tried to get a lock on them.

Jason re-aimed and put a round through the Destroyer's optic while Jane did the same to the Rocket Trooper as they moved up to the building.

"Here." said Liara pointing to a Geth terminal nearby. "That looks like a communications array of some sort."

Jason approached his his omni-tool flared. **"Connection Established."** said SECOND. A moment later the screen of the terminal sputtered and died, shutting down the Geth triangulation arrays. "That should do it. he said as they started looking around for anything useful.

Finding nothing else, the team followed along the river bed again. Keeping as low as possible to avoid detection. "This is my kind of vacation; lots of scenery, and lots of killing." said Wrex with a chuckle.

"Definitely beats Disneyland." said Jason as he spotted a Geth Sniper ahead. A quick shot later and they passed by without detection.

They encountered several more Geth waiting for them. Each one met a quick end as Shadow team pushed their way closer to the facility. They eventually encountered another structure similar to the last that led to a series of walkways leading to the back of the facility.

The guards saw them coming and opened fire, but the combined assault from all five of them turned the synthetics to scrap before they could land any effective hits.

Jane vented her sniper rifle and switched to her assault rifle when she saw something on top of the building they just took control of. "Up there, looks like a communication up-link." she said to the others.

Benezia held out her hand, the antenna was encased in dark energy before it was ripped from the structure and thrown against a rock face. "That should assist the Salarian teams nicely." she said as they treaded down the walkways ahead.

Jason pulled out his own assault rifle and put down a Rocket trooper that tried to fire on them. Two Krogan charged headlong down the walkway, but a combined throw attack from Wrex and Liara knocked both of them back into a few crates nearby.

Wrex ran forward and shoved his shotgun in the face of the first Krogan and blew it's head clean off before firing two rounds point blank into the other.

They pushed on, fighting the occasional Geth that would pop up to engage them as they rounded a corner and was met with the sight of eight Geth drones ranging from assault to rocket hovering above a large fuel tank.

"Flyers, must be refueling to help fight off the frontal assault team." said Jane looking the situation over.

"Then let's even the playing field." said Jason taking out his bow and knocking an explosive arrow. He leaned around the corner and drew the string back, gauging the distance and wind on his HUD as he let it fly.

The arrow sank into the side of the tank. Everything shook as the fuel exploded, the blast taking the flyers and a good chunk of that section of walkway with it.

When it died down the team moved on, past the debris and remains of the drones as they drew closer to the base.

X

The rest of the trip was uneventful until they reached the back door to the facility. All five members of Shadow team had to combine their firepower to take down the squads of Geth and three Krogan that had been laying in wait.

But as the last of them fell, the team of five was able to slip inside with only a few minor injuries.

Jason put his rifle away and approached a nearby security terminal. "SECOND, do your thing." he said hacking the terminal. **"Connection Established."**

"I've disabled the alarms, along with several other security measures they have in place." he said after a few moments before taking out his assault rifle again. "I think we can handle any guards that will be inside."

Jane nodded as they approached the first door and stacked up on either side. Jason primed two grenades, she hit the door panel and he tossed them in as it opened.

Two explosions went off and they stormed the room. Two Shock Troopers were killed in the blast, a Destroyer also laid in pieces, but another stood with only its shields down before a hail of rounds tore it apart.

The team surveyed the room and thought it was clear until a round pinged off of Wrex's shields. They turned...and were shocked to see three Salarians approaching them, firing their weapons.

"What are they doing? We're on their side!" exclaimed Liara dropping into cover.

Jason did a quick scan of the three Salarians and SECOND came back immediately. **"Indoctrination Detected."**

"They're indoctrinated!" he called out firing his weapon and taking down the three aliens before they could do more damage. Everything fell silent as the squad approached the dead Salarians.

"They must have been captured when the STG teams first arrived." said Benezia. "Saren did to them what happened to me."

"So Saren's working with indoctrination here as well. Another reason to blow this place to hell." said Jane gripping her weapon tighter. "Come on, we need to keep moving and clear a path for the nuke to be armed."

They headed out of the room and up a small flight of stairs into another room. **"Ordinance Incoming."**

"Get down!" Jason shouted as a rocket flew past them and exploded against the far wall. A Juggernaut came out from behind a large crate firing another rocket at them.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason fired his assault rifle until it over heated as he charged the large Geth. Sliding across the ground between its legs and lashing out with his knife and cutting one of the 'tendons' in its right knee.

The synthetic collapsed to the floor, white fluid spurting out of its knee as Jason spun around and lept on to its back. Driving the knife up into its head and dropping it to the floor. "Clear." he said putting his knife away and venting his rifle.

"Remind me again why you never became a Spectre before now." said Jane as they passed through the only door in the room and into what looked to be a prison block.

"Hello? Is someone out there?" somebody called out down from one of the cells.

"Survivors." said Liara as they paused. Jason scanned the sealed rooms with his visor;

 **"Indoctrination Detected in all Cells."**

"Don't bother. Their minds are already lost to indoctrination." said Jason with a shake of his head before they moved on.

The team entered a server room where two indoctrinated Salarians were milling around. Wrex launched a throw that sent them crashing into the wall. Jason sent SECOND out into a couple terminals and started mining for data. Seconds later nothing about the breeding facility came back, but data on indoctrination did.

"Got intel on what they were doing here. They were experimenting with indoctrination, using the captured STG scouts as test subjects. A handful of the scouts survived the procedures with their minds intact, but they are under Saren's control. Those that don't show signs of it can be triggered at a moments notice."

"Goddess, what has he done." said Benezia in horror.

Filing away the data, the team all piled into the elevator in the center of the room and rode it up to the next level. The lift stopped in a lab that had several Husks in stasis fields. A Krogan scientist spun around and called out for the guards only to be frozen in stasis and blown away by Benezia's shotgun.

Jason drew his Hammer pistol and shot the first Husk in the head before moving on to the next. Jane drew her own pistol and did the same on the other side of the lab. The rest of the team followed their lead, making sure the synthetic corpses were put down before they could activate and come after them.

With the lab cleared they quickly moved on. The main assault teams were still doing relatively well with no signs of large casualties from the reports they were getting over the comms.

Back outside, Jane drew her assault rifle and took down two Geth Troopers that were stationed outside a door at the end of a small path before they walked inside an office. The room was medium size with a desk next to a large window and a door at the other end that led farther into the facility, Jane brought up her rifle when she saw something move. "Contact!"

"Wait! Don't shoot!" screamed an Asari as she stood up from behind the desk. "Please, I just want to get out of here before it's too late."

"Who are you, child?" asked Benezia.

"Rana Thanoptis, I'm a neuro-specialist working for Saren. But this job isn't worth dying over. Or worse." said the Asari. "You think the indoctrination only affects prisoners? Sooner or later, Saren will want to dissect my brain, too!"

"Your studying Sovereign's effect on people's minds." said Jason stiffly.

Rana nodded, "Yes, at least that's what I had assumed. Saren keeps us in the dark as much as possible."

"You helped that pyjak and didn't even know why?" grunted Wrex.

"I didn't have the option of negotiating. This position is a little more...permanent than I'd expected." said Rana. "But I can help you. This elevator behind me goes to Saren's private lab. I can get you in."

She walked over to the door and punched a code into the panel on the wall. The lock turned green and she walked back over to them. "See? Full access. All of Saren's private files. Are we good? Can I go?"

"What exactly about Sovereign were you studying?" asked Jason as he had SECOND scan her brainwaves.

"The ship emits some kind of...signal. Undetectable, but it's there. I've seen the effects. Saren uses it to influence his followers, to control them. Direct exposure to the signal turns you into a mindless slave, like the Salarian test test subjects. But there's collateral damage, too."

" 'Collateral damage'?" asked Liara.

"Sovereign's signal is too strong. Spend too much time near the ship and you feel it. Like a tingle in the back of the skull. It's like a whisper you can't quite hear. You're compelled to do things but you don't know why. You just obey. Eventually, you just stop thinking for yourself."

She looked afraid, "It happens to everyone at the facility. My first test subject was the man I replaced. Now I just want to get out of here before it happens to me."

Jane looked at Jason who shook his head slowly. "She's already being influenced. Her brainwaves are corrupted by the signal." he said raising his pistol and making Rana take a step back.

"Wait! What do you mean I'm being influenced! The voice isn't telling me to do anything..."

Everyone tensed and raised their weapons at her slip up. "You're indoctrinated, Rana. All of the time you've spent here has already warped your mind beyond repair. I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to endanger anyone." said the Post-Human thumbing the safety off.

Rana's face turned from shocked to enraged as dark energy began to gather around her. "You will not stop them, their will is undeniable!" she screamed. Jason's Hammer fired, purple blood spraying through the air as the Asari collapsed to the floor with a hole through her head.

"I wish things could have gone differently." said Jane as they went through the door that was unlocked for them.

"I do too, Jane." said Jason as they treaded along a small walkway and into an elevator on the far end that took them down several levels.

The lift opened to a two level room full of servers. On the bottom level stood a tall glowing, and familiar structure. "Is that a Prothean beacon?" asked Liara in awe. The squad approached the beacon and stopped a good couple feet away as Jane drew closer.

She reached out with both hands and touched the two holo-panels on either side. The beacon glowed brightly and the Commander was caught in the energy field as she relived the vision again, but this time with the missing pieces falling into place.

When the vision came to an end she fell to the floor on her hands and knees breathing heavily. A large pair of hands helped her to her feet. "You okay?" asked Jason worried about what happened to her after the Cipher.

Jane nodded after taking a few deep breaths, "Y-Yeah...the vision's a bit more clear now." she said rubbing her temples. "We need to get moving." they started heading back up to the second level.

The center platform suddenly lit up red, the squad walked on to the platform as a large hologram of Sovereign appeared in the middle of the room. "I get the feeling something bad is going to happen." said Wrex clutching his shotgun.

 **"YOU ARE NOT SAREN."** boomed the emotionless, mechanical voice that sent a chill down their spines.

"What is this? Some kind of VI interface?" wondered Benezia.

Jason shook his head, the images he had seen from back on Noveria started flashing through his mind. Each one becoming more vivid as time passed.

 **"RUDIMENTARY CREATURES OF BLOOD AND FLESH. YOU TOUCH MY MIND, FUMBLING IN IGNORANCE, INCAPABLE OF UNDERSTANDING."** Spoke the hologram.

"That isn't a VI..." said Liara paling slightly.

 **"THERE IS A REALM OF EXISTENCE SO FAR BEYOND YOUR OWN CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE IT. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. I AM SOVEREIGN."**

"Sovereign isn't a Reaper ship." said Jason clenching his teeth behind his visor. "It's an actual goddamn Reaper."

 **"REAPER? A LABEL CREATED BY THE PROTHEANS TO GIVE VOICE TO THEIR DESTRUCTION. IN THE END, WHAT THEY CHOOSE TO CALL US IS IRRELEVANT. WE SIMPLY ARE."**

"The Protheans vanished 50,000 years ago. You couldn't have been there, it's impossible!" exclaimed Liara.

 **"ORGANIC LIFE IS NOTHING BUT A GENETIC MUTATION, AN ACCIDENT. YOUR LIVES ARE MEASURED IN YEARS AND DECADES. YOU WITHER AND DIE. WE ARE ETERNAL. THE PINNACLE OF EVOLUTION AND EXISTENCE. BEFORE US, YOU ARE NOTHING. YOUR EXTINCTION IS INEVITABLE. WE ARE THE END OF EVERYTHING."**

"There is an entire galaxy of beings ready to face you." growled Jane. "Whatever plans you have will fail."

 **"CONFIDENCE BORN OF IGNORANCE. THE CYCLE CANNOT BE BROKEN."** droned Sovereign.

"Cycle? What fucking cycle?" said Wrex.

 **"THE PATTERN HAS REPEATED ITSELF MORE TIMES THAN YOU CAN FATHOM. ORGANIC CIVILIZATIONS RISE, EVOLVE, ADVANCE. AND AT THE APEX OF THEIR GLORY, THEY ARE EXTINGUISHED. THE PROTHEANS WERE NOT THE FIRST. THEY DID NOT CREATE THE CITADEL. THEY DID NOT FORGE THE MASS RELAYS. THEY MERELY FOUND THEM, THE LEGACY OF MY KIND."** said the Reaper.

"Why would you leave the mass relays and the Citadel behind for other races to find?" asked Jason already knowing the answer that was coming.

 **"YOUR CIVILIZATION IS BASED ON THE TECHNOLOGY OF THE MASS RELAYS, OUR TECHNOLOGY. BY USING IT, YOUR SOCIETY DEVELOPS ALONG THE PATHS WE DESIRE. WE IMPOSE ORDER ON THE CHAOS OF ORGANIC EVOLUTION. YOU EXIST BECAUSE WE ALLOW IT. AND YOU WILL END BECAUSE WE DEMAND IT."**

"By the Goddess...they're harvesting us like cattle!" Benezia said in horror. "Allowing us to advance to our best then wiping us all out!"

"Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of your kind?" asked Jane.

 **"WE ARE LEGION. THE TIME OF OUR RETURN IS COMING. OUR NUMBERS WILL DARKEN THE SKY OF EVERY WORLD. YOU CANNOT ESCAPE YOUR DOOM."**

"You think yourselves gods because you believe you are the pinnacle of all life." said Jason darkly. "But you and the rest of your kind are just machines. And machines can be broken!"

The hologram before them seemed to turn in Jason's direction as he spoke. The nano soldier saw the images from before flash before his eyes quickly causing a slight headache.

 **"YOU ARE MACHINE AND NERVE. AN ANOMALY THAT IT UNPRECEDENTED THAT HAS TWICE DEFIED US. YOU MUST BE TERMINATED."**

A bolt of dark-red electricity shot from the hologram and struck the Post-Human. Jason dropped his rifle and gripped the sides of his head as his brain felt like it was going through a blender. "Jason!" Jane screamed as he fell to his knees in agony.

 **"Neurological Attack Detected. Initiating Counter Measure."** said SECOND as the HUD went crazy.

 **"YOUR AI CANNOT SAVE YOU. YOUR MIND WILL BREAK LIKE SO MANY BEFORE YOU."**

The pain increased making Jason's body convulse under the nano suit. More images flashed before his eyes. Visions of death, destruction, bodies being liquidated and turned into something monstrous.

 **"Primary Counter Measure Failed. Initiating Secondary Counter Measure."** said SECOND as the HUD flickered on and off from the attack.

Jason began to rise into the air, his body hovering above the ground by three feet as the images continued to bombard him like bullets. Jane went to run to him but Wrex held her back in fear of something similar happening to her. The squad could only watch as their friend's mind was assaulted.

 **"YOUR FATE IS SEALED. LIKE ALL ORGANICS BEFORE YOU. WHETHER YOU ARE MACHINE OR HUMAN MATTERS NOT. YOU WILL NOT STOP THE CYCLE."**

Something deep within Jason snapped. The images began to slow down and the pain began to slowly ebb away. "I...am more...than a machine..." he hissed clenching his fists. "...More...than a Human..." red energy began to crackle around him and fight against the bolt being held by the hologram before him. "You...will never understand...the true power of those you consume..." the team moved back as the energy became brighter.

"And that...will lead to your END!" The bolt was launched right back at the hologram. The terminal supporting it exploded in a shower of sparks, the windows in the room all shattered as the energy was unleashed.

Jason fell to the floor face down as the energy faded. His HUD continued to fizzle from the output and the images began to slow down until it faded completely. **"System Rebooting."** chimed SECOND as the suit made repairs.

"Jason? Jason say something!" Jane shouted kneeling next to the downed nano soldier.

"Some...thing..." he groaned slowly getting back to his feet. Holding his head as the last dregs of the ache faded. "I don't know what the hell happened, but I think I pissed that thing off." he said picking his rifle back up.

 _"Commander, Maverick we got trouble!"_ said Joker over the radio.

"Hit us Joker." said Jane as they headed back toward the lift.

 _"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would shear any of our ships in half. It's coming your way and it's coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there fast!"_ urged the pilot.

"We're already moving Joker, has Kaidan and Tali finished up with the nuke?" asked Jason as they rode the lift back up to the main floor.

 _"It's ready. We just need to set it up and arm it."_ came Kaidan's voice.

"We're heading for the breeding facility now, meet us there when we clear the place out." said Jane as the lift stopped and they headed out. The door leading back to the office opened and the team dodged as a rocket flew past them and exploded inside the elevator.

All five weapons focused on the lone Geth Destroyer that had fired on them and killed it quickly before they moved on. Through the office and back outside where a series of bridges had opened up where they passed before.

Two Krogan charged down the bridges to meet them head on. Wrex roared and charged as well, biotics forming around him as he slammed into both enemies and hurled them over the railing and into the dark waters below. "Ha! Now this is what I call a good fight!" he bellowed taking out his Claymore and blasting a third Krogan that came out of hiding.

With the hostiles down, the team pushed on. Through a small corridor in the facility and back out along the outside of the base.

"That could give the _Normandy_ a bit of trouble." said Jane as they looked at the large AA gun ahead of them.

"Then we should shut it down and quick." said Jason as his motion tracker pinged. **"Hostiles Detected."** He shot a Geth Stalker out of the air as it lept in front of them. The rest of the team opened fire on other platforms that came out to engage them.

Liara threw up a powerful barrier around them as a salvo rockets launched in their direction. Detonating off of the field of energy and making the young Asari strain against the attack.

Jane and Wrex aimed at the two Rocket drones that had shot at them while Benezia picked up a charging Krogan with her biotics and hurled them off of the base completely.

Jason fired a charged overload at the last drone that came out from behind a pillar and watched it crash into the ground before giving the signal that they were all clear. "Guards are getting heavier. Either they figured out what we're doing, or there are more here than we thought." said the nano soldier.

He approached the turret controls and brought up his omni-tool. **"Connection Established. Shutting Down Systems."** the AA gun powered down and the terminal gave off a few sparks before going down too.

"Behind us!" shouted Wrex as he blasted a Shock Trooper that came out of the elevator on their six with two Rocket Troopers.

Jane grabbed a grenade and threw it into the elevator, the explosion ripping the two remaining synthetics apart and leaving the lift open for them to ride. _"Good work on the gun, Shadow Team. Now it's our turn."_ said Kirrahe on the comms as they stepped on.

"Let's get this finished up before reinforcements arrive." said the Commander as the doors closed.

X

The breeding facility had been crawling with both Geth and Krogan alike. Shadow team was tired, Liara had taken a bullet to the arm before her barriers could get up in time but thankfully they bought plenty of medi-gel for this situation.

Jason's mind had been working in overdrive. Not just on the mission, but on another plan that he had been working on since the start of all of this.

 **"Maximum Power."** He grabbed a charging Krogan by the head and stopped its charge. With a powerful twist it's neck snapped and it fell to the ground as he helped Benezia take down a Geth Destroyer that had flanked them.

Despite the odds, the team's combined efforts took out all of the remaining hostiles on this side of the breeding facility. They passed through the last reinforced doorway and found themselves at the marked location where the nuke was to be set up. "Joker we're here. Bring her in." said Jane after they did one final sweep.

 _"All right! Nice work guys. That's one less thing to worry about. Bringing the_ Normandy _in now."_ replied the helmsmen.

Jason saw Benezia sway and caught her before she hit the ground. "You alright?" he asked helping her stabilize herself.

"I am a bit rusty at warfare. It has been a long time." she admitted wiping sweat from her forehead.

"I'd say you've done pretty well so far." said the nano soldier making the Matriarch smile.

Shadow team waited for a few minutes and the _Normandy_ came down from the clouds and hovered above the sector. The cargo hatch opened and a squad of marines came down the ramp carrying the makeshift nuke with Kaidan following to make sure the final preparations were done

They brought the bomb over and set it up by a pillar as Kaidan walked over to them. "Bombs in position, we're all set he-"

 _"Commander, Maverick can you read me?"_ interrupted Garrus over the comm.

"What's wrong Garrus? Nuke's almost set up." said Jason.

 _"We know, the Geth have us pinned down on the AA tower. We're holding but they just keep coming. We've started taking casualties."_ replied the Turian.

"We're coming to get you all, just hang on." said Jane.

 _"Negative!"_ said Ashley with gunfire in the background. _"Finish setting up the nuke, we'll hold them as long as we-"_ she was cut off by static.

"We just need a couple of minutes to finish arming the bomb. Go get them and meet us back here." said Kaidan.

Jane nodded and looked to the gathered team. Liara was still holding her arm from the bullet wound she received earlier. "Benezia, take your daughter to the med-bay. Tali, your with us." she said as the Matriarch helped her daughter back on to the ship.

The new team began to head out as the _Normandy_ took off toward minimal safe distance, but Jane noticed Jason wasn't following. "You guys go on ahead, I'll stay here and help make sure the nuke is protected."

"Are you sure?" asked the Commander.

The Post-Human nodded, "Go get Ash and Garrus. I'll help Kaidan keep this place secure for when you get back." she hesitated at the door before finally nodding at her fellow Spectre.

"Just...be careful." she said lowly before she motioned for the others to follow her.

Jason watched her go before rolling his shoulders and heading over to the nuke to help Kaidan with the final set up. First part of the plan was done...now all he had to do was ensure that they all survived this.

 **X**

 **A/N: More changes abound, and there's one hell of a fight coming Jason's way.**

 **Update coming soon!**


	40. Chapter 39

**A/N: Here it is, the end of the Virmire mission. And it'll be one that will set in motion the events that will follow. So no more waiting!**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Breeding Facility - Virmire**

 **August 17, 2183 - 13:52 hours**

Jason stood on guard, visor scanning every square inch of space around the bomb site for any hostiles. A squad of four Alliance Marines standing around the area to keep the place secure while Kaidan finished setting up the nuke.

"How's everything going over there, Lieutenant?" asked the nano soldier after the twelfth scan.

"Almost ready. Having Tali with me to set it all up in the beginning really got the ball rolling." said Kaidan as he made the last few adjustments with his omni-tool.

A loud hum echoed through the area. Everyone had their weapons up as a Geth dropship flew around the base and headed their way. _"Heads up guys, we just spotted a troop transport heading your way."_ said Ashley on the comms.

The ship hovered over the bomb site and began dropping Geth all over the place. "They're already here." said Jason shooting down a Shock Trooper as it unfolded from its compact form. Every marine around him got into cover and fired as well while Kaidan finished up with the bomb.

 _"Can you guys hold them off?"_ asked Jane with urgency in her voice.

Kaidan ducked as one of the marines behind him took a round to the head and dropped to the ground. Several more Geth were killed, but the ship kept dropping more. "I don't think we can-" he was cut off when a round bounced off of the nuke making him duck down.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason charged forward, weapon blazing as pulse rounds bounced off of his suit. A few of the synthetics fell in the assault before he grabbed one of the Rocket Troopers and hurling it like a baseball into a Destroyer and knocking both off of the edge of the railing.

Spinning on his heel, he drove his knife into a Trooper's optic and using it as a shield as he fired his assault rifle from the hip and taking down one that was standing behind it.

A squad of Geth began to close in on the Post-Human, but he quickly pulled two grenades from his pack and dropped them on the ground before leaping away. The following explosion blew the platforms apart as Jason raised his assault rifle and took down a sniper trying to get a lock on them from the rooftop.

"We'll hold as long as we can. Just get Ash, Garrus and the STG survivors and get back here." he said into the radio dropping into cover and venting his rifle.

 _"We'll be back as fast as we can, just hold on!"_ said the Commander.

Kaidan jumped up and launched a singularity that drew in three Geth allowing the marines to gun them down. "You really think we can hold out?" he asked pulling out his pistol and firing over his cover.

Another marine fell to the ground with his torso full of holes. Jason stood with his sniper rifle and fired, blowing the head off of a Shock Trooper when it stepped within the scope. He pulled the bolt back and vented the rifle before firing another round. "We just gotta keep knocking them down as they pop up. Hold this location!"he called out.

It was a suicidal plan at best, but Jason had faced bigger and stronger odds before on his own. The Geth weren't much different than the Ceph, more advanced in technology on some level maybe, but their tactics were similar.

Attacking in groups while sending a few stragglers on flanking strafes. The downside for them was that the area they were in had good cover, but provided little for them to flank the team. And the wide area before them made a perfect killzone.

"Grenades!" shouted Jason priming two more in his hands. Kaidan and the marines all grabbed explosives and waited for the order. "Now!" they tossed the devices and ducked down behind cover.

Several explosions went off sending Geth body parts flying in all directions. A good number of the synthetics were killed in the blasts, several others were missing pieces and were still limping or crawling in their direction.

The nano soldier used the distraction to stand and launch his hacking program, hijacking a Juggernaut and causing it to cause as much collateral damage to their back ranks before the others caught on and took it down together.

The firefight seemed to last for hours, when in actuality it was only a few minutes. The troop transport above dropped another salvo of Geth before flying off unexpectedly. "They're pulling back!" shouted one of the marines as he kept shooting the newly arrived platforms.

Jason tagged the remaining synthetics on his HUD before taking them down one by one. Something felt off about the situation. The Geth had them outnumbered, why were they pulling back? "Keep your guard up, something isn't right about this." He said taking out a weakened Destroyer with a headshot.

One last squad of Geth was grouped around a fuel tank, Jason drew his bow and fired an explosive arrow, lighting up half of the site in a blast that incinerated the last of the synthetics.

Standing, the nano soldier looked to the surviving marines. Two were still ready to fight, worn but ready regardless. A third was slumped against the wall out cold with medi-gel covering a few bullet wounds that thankfully were not fatal. "Kaidan, how's the nuke." he asked keeping his eyes open.

The Lieutenant looked the device over. "A few dents, but it's still active. All we need to do is set it to go off. With the Geth jammers all over the facility we can't remote detonate. Tali and I set it up with a timer that can't be hacked without the proper encryption. Once it starts, it won't shut down." he explained.

"How long do we have to bail?" asked Jason.

"5 minutes. More than enough for the _Normandy_ to pick us up and get us out of-" a blast of dark energy struck the ground between them sending both men flying back and crashing to the ground.

Jason grabbed his dropped rifle and rolled back to his feet as more blasts rained down around him. He looked up in the sky and gritted his teeth as he saw the one person he had been hoping to get a shot at.

"Saren."

The rogue Spectre raised his hand and fired another volley of warp attacks forcing the Post-Human to dodge aside and return fire with his rifle. Each round bouncing off of a barrier that was surrounding Saren and the hovering platform he was standing on.

More gunfire erupted as the rest of the team attacked the Turian. Saren's glowing eyes locked on to the marines and fired a powerful throw that launched them all against the wall hard and knocking them unconscious before firing another at Jason.

 **"Maximum Armor."** the dark energy slammed into his front sending him skidding back through the water around his feet. He raised his rifle and fired a volley of rounds that bounced off of the barrier again. He stopped after a few moments and glared at the Turian as he dropped to the ground under him, both standing a few feet away from one another.

"It's unbelievable. I was utterly convinced the Salarians were the real threat. As impressive a diversion as it was, I knew that there was more to it." said Saren. "Imagine my surprise to find that Shepard also wasn't the real threat."

"What are you going on about Saren?" asked Jason keeping his rifle trained on his head.

The Turian's glowing eyes narrowed, "When I first heard about you and your exploits from the Council, I imagined just a pathetic Human running around playing hero. But after our encounter on Eden Prime and your disruption of my plans, I now realize that you are far more trouble than I first believed. Sovereign also considers you a bigger threat than anything else. A threat that needs to be removed. I will not let either you or Shepard disrupt what I have accomplished here. You can't possibly understand what's really at stake."

"Unleashing the Reapers back on the galaxy isn't an accomplishment worth praise!" Jason roared. "The only thing at stake are the lives of trillions that'll be killed when those abominations return!"

"I wouldn't expect you to understand." droned Saren. "You cannot comprehend what the Reapers are capable of. Shepard saw the vision, she knows first hand that they cannot be stopped. You all sacrifice everything for the sake of petty freedoms. The Protheans tried to fight, and they were utterly destroyed."

"At least they died fighting for their freedom!" Jason pressed. "You just expect us to bow down and let the Reapers steam roll over us? Fuck that! I've had enough of watching genocidal species attempt to annihilate organics."

He pointed at the rogue Spectre, "And _you_ are nothing more than Sovereign's puppet! If you honestly think that surrendering to the Reapers will save us; then its got your head a lot more warped than I thought."

Saren didn't look moved, "It is true that Sovereign's influence can...overwhelm a lesser mind. I was aware of the dangers. I had hoped this facility could protect me. But the transformation from ally to servant can be subtle, I will not let it happen to me."

Jason shook his head. "Can you even hear yourself? It's already happening. Whatever that Reaper is feeding you it's bullshit! Once your useless to it, you're as good as dead."

"No! Sovereign needs me!" exclaimed the traitor. "If I find the Conduit, I've been promised a reprieve from the inevitable. This is my only hope."

Looking over the brainwave scan SECOND had made, Jason saw that Saren was so far beyond help that there was hardly anything left of the man he once was. "If the Reapers come back, there won't be any hope left for anyone." He said evenly.

The silence that dragged out was tense. Neither man backing down as they leered at one another.

"I knew you would never see things our way." Saren said finally. "When Sovereign attacked your mind, it discovered that you are part machine yourself. We are similar, yet so different."

"I'm nothing like you." Jason said darkly, grip tightening on his rifle.

"Are you? You possess the body of a Human, but you have cybernetics and nanite technology running through your veins." said the Turian. "The perfect fusion of metal and flesh, machine and nerve. But you squander it fighting for those that are beneath you. You can join us, Maverick. Prove your worth to Sovereign, and it will grant you the same rewards it has promised me."

The nano soldier was motionless, yet his voice came out as cold as ice. "You know, I heard something similar from someone else years ago. In a different time and place...he and I ended up disagreeing on many levels."

"I may be more than Human. But I am not a fucking machine. Unlike your _master_ I have a heart and a mind that remind me everyday who I am and why I fight as hard as I do. And that will be something the Reapers will never understand no matter how many cycles they've consumed."

He raised the rifle in his hands, "And I'll do everything in my power to make sure you and that overgrown toaster oven fail. No matter what it takes."

Dark energy started to gather around Saren's form. "So be it." he said launching a throw attack.

Jason dove to the side and fired full auto at the rogue Spectre, rounds being absorbed by the powerful barrier protecting him as he lept back on to the hovering platform and rose back into the air.

Keeping the heat on, the Post-Human moved from cover to cover. Avoiding warp attacks that were thrown around like bolts of lightning in a storm. Finding that the conventional method wasn't working, he decided to try something else.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** the nano soldier vanished from sight and moved around to find a weakness in Saren's defenses.

"You cannot hide forever, Maverick. Your tricks won't save you here." said Saren taking out a Geth pulse rifle and peppering the ground below with dozens of rounds.

Decloaking, Jason launched an arrow straight at the Turian only for it to be caught effortlessly in his taloned hand and inch from his face. "Pathetic." Saren hissed snapping the bolt in two.

Jason quickly drew a second arrow and fired. The hovering platform moved up and it struck to the bottom of it, protecting Saren. "You're aim is deplorable. Perhaps everyone is wrong about you."

The nano soldier smirked under his visor, "I wasn't aiming for you, split-lip." he hit a button on his omni-tool. Saren had a split second to look down before the arrow exploded, ripping the platform he was standing on apart causing him to fall to the ground and land on his feet in the water below.

Saren growled before firing at the nano soldier again. **"Maximum Armor."** The rounds bounced off of him as he returned fire while moving into cover.

"It didn't have to be this way." said Saren ripping a nearby fuel tank from the ground with his biotics. "You could become so much more than what you already are." he threw the tank against Jason's cover. The explosion destroying the pillar and sending the Post-Human crashing into the wall.

 **"Suit Integrity: 79%. Energy Depleted."**

The nano soldier got back to his feet and got into cover again as the Turian fired his weapon. "Yet you continue on with your ideals of saving the galaxy. How nearsighted." mocked the traitor.

"Funny way of putting that. Especially with you betraying that same galaxy to save your own ass!" said Jason, leaning out and shooting until his weapon started to overheat.

Saren fired back, several rounds tearing into the nano soldier's rifle and making it useless. "This is precisely why I never went to the Council with this. Ignorance. Belief that things will be saved through words and acts of valor. When in the end it's all for nothing."

Throwing the scraped rifle aside, Jason drew his Hammer pistol and prepared for another attack.

X

A ways away, Kaidan slowly came back to consciousness. Shaking his head and clutching his side from the hit he had taken, he dragged himself upright and watched as Jason and Saren fought against one another.

Pressing a finger to his ear, he contacted Jane. "Commander, It's Alenko. Saren's here. Jason is fighting him, but I don't think he can keep him down much longer."

 _"What?! Dammit!...Alright Lieutenant, we've already picked up Ash, Garrus and the surviving Salarians and are headed back your way now. Contact Joker and have him meet us there. Just hold on!"_ said the Commander as the line ended.

Kaidan glanced at the marines nearby. Laying in pools of blood and limbs twisted from the attack Saren used to smash them into the wall like rag dolls.

Gritting his teeth, the biotic applied medi-gel to his injured side before taking out his pistol.

X

Jason emptied his pistol before having to dive out of the way of a singularity that was thrown back at him.

Saren proved to be a much tougher challenge than he thought. His cybernetics in combination with his biotics made him a dangerous enemy. It was taking everything the nano soldier had to just get through the Turian's barrier while dodging attacks at the same time.

Switching to his bow, Jason fired an eezo-infused arrow that Saren lept away from as it detonated. "I must admit, you are a worthy enemy Maverick. But this conflict ends now." said the Turian charging up his biotics.

Knocking another arrow, Jason drew the cord back and took aim. "Was thinking the same thing." he said letting the arrow fly.

The rogue Spectre caught the arrow as easily as the first. Jason lept on to the low wall he was behind and jumped into the air, firing a second arrow in the process .

Saren caught the second arrow in his other talon, but couldn't stop the fist aimed at his face that knocked him back two steps. Jason drew his knife and stood in a CQC stance as the Turian roared, swinging his claws at the Post-Human with the deadly precision most Turian military officials were known for.

The two squared off. Trading blows back and forth. Sparks flying whenever blade met talon in a dance that would spell death for many.

Jason swung his knife high, but Saren blocked the strike at the last possible second. Tossing the blade into the air, the nano soldier caught it in his other hand, spun on the ball of his foot and went to stab into the traitor's neck.

Saren brought up a forearm and blocked the attack, swinging his right talon out forcing Jason to lean back. One of the razor sharp claws on his synthetic arm grazed the center of the nano suit's visor, leaving a small scratch in the red tinted material.

Bringing his right fist down in a haymaker, Jason's right wrist was caught in Saren's grasp. He swung with his left hand with the knife still in it only for it to be grabbed as well. The two stood deadlocked, fighting against one another for control.

"You will not win." growled Saren. "Give up this futile attempt at preservation and accept the inevitable."

"Not gonna happen, split-lip." said Jason. **"Maximum Power."** he brought up his foot and kicked the Turian hard in the chest sending him skidding back through the water at their feet.

Gritting his teeth, Saren summoned a large field of dark energy and blasted it forward like a tidal wave. Jason didn't have time to activate his armor mode as the wall of energy struck him hard and sent him slamming hard into the wall and leaving a large body print in the reinforced concrete.

Powering down, the traitor skulked toward the nano soldier as he slowly started to stand back up.

Mid-step, Saren was struck in the side with a piece of the destroyed hovering platform he had been riding before and crashed to the ground.

Jason's HUD fizzled a little from the attack as SECOND spoke. **"Suit Integrity: 67%. Repairs in Progress."** He shook his head and got back to his feet to see Kaidan standing with pistol in hand and biotics flared.

Saren got back to his feet as well, glaring at the Lieutenant and growling like an enraged animal. "You'll pay for that, Human!" he roared launching a warp.

Kaidan rolled out of the way before throwing one of his own that Saren stopped with a barrier. "You'll be the one paying, Saren!" he shouted firing his pistol.

The Turian brought up another barrier to deflect the rounds before launching a throw at the Lieutenant. Kaidan brought up his own barrier and stopped the attack, but Saren kept pouring more energy into it causing the L2 biotic to strain to keep the barrier stable.

Jason clenched his fists as the suit repaired itself. When it was fixed enough he charged the Turian to help Kaidan.

Saren's eyes glowed brighter as one last blast of energy left his hand. Kaidan's barrier shattered and he was sent sliding across the ground until he stopped against the nuke. Blood dripping from his ears, nose and eyes as he laid motionless.

"KAIDAN!" Jason roared driving his fist hard into the traitor's gut. He followed up with a headbutt that sent Saren reeling back and swinging his synthetic arm out in a blind attack.

Jason snatched the arm before it could land, fingers tightening on the forearm as his grip increased beyond normal Human standards.

At that moment Jane and the others ran through the opposite doorway. Tali supporting Ashley with a bullet wound to her leg and the surviving STG members trailing behind with Captain Kirrahe leading them with weapons ready.

Saren looked into the crimson visor of the nano suit. The sheer power and rage behind that visor could be sensed clear as day. Jason said nothing as his grip on the arm in his hand tightened even further.

" **Maximum Power."** Jason swung hard to the right, throwing Saren over his shoulder hard. The sound of metal twisting and snapping was heard as the synthetic arm was torn from the rogue Spectre's body as he was hurled down the small river and landed in a heap close to the edge.

Everyone stood in both awe and horror as the Post-Human stood, the synthetic arm torn at the shoulder in his grasp as it dripped blue blood and white fluid into the water at his feet. He tossed the severed limb aside as he began to stalk toward the injured Turian.

Saren staggered to his feet. His remaining talon clutching at the stump where his arm used to be as he glared back at everyone in attendance. It was a fight he couldn't win now. Outnumbered and wounded he was no match for them all.

A loud alarm blared throughout the facility making everyone jump. Saren ran for the railing behind him and lept over. A second later he rose into the air on another hovering platform that rose higher and higher.

Jason drew his Hammer and aimed. But reholstered it knowing it wouldn't do any good.

He turned and ran back to the others as Jane and Garrus were looking over Kaidan. "How is he?"

"We need to get him on the _Normandy_ and fast. I think his implant might be overloaded." said Jane grimly while at the same time trying to control her emotions at seeing the Lieutenant's current state.

At that moment the _Normandy_ came down like before and hovered not far from the platform they were all on. _"Come on guys we gotta go! More Geth are on the way and I do mean_ more _!"_ said Joker urgently.

"Everyone move out! Double time!" shouted Jane as they all gathered the wounded and made a b-line for the ship.

Tali brought up her omni-tool by the nuke and entered a sequence before chasing after them. A display appeared on the ordinance and a counter started at _5:00_ and began to count down. "The nuke's been activated let's go!" she shouted as they ran up the ramp and into the cargo bay.

"Joker get us the hell outta here!" Jason shouted.

The helmsman gunned it and blasted off toward the sky. They barely breached the atmosphere when the ground where they had just been lit up in a massive orange ball that was easily seen from space as the ship headed straight for the nearby mass relay.

On board, Jane and Jason got Kaidan out of the upper half of his armor and applied medi-gel while Jane was on the comm. "This is Commander Shepard, I need a medic team in the cargo hold ASAP! We have wounded, one critical! I repeat, we have wounded!" she shouted as they tried to stabilize the Lieutenant's condition.

"Dammit Kaidan just hold on." said Jane trying to fight back tears as her friend/brother laid motionless and pale on the floor.

Jason had SECOND scan the biotic's body. Several broken bones came back, but the most dire anomaly was his L2 implant which was severely overloaded. And that made the situation very critical.

The elevator opened, Chakwas and her medical team ran into the room and surrounded the downed Lieutenant. "His implant is overloaded, we need to get him to the med-bay and into surgery if he is to have any chance at survival." said Chakwas as they loaded him on to a gurney and wheeled him back to the elevator.

Three members stayed behind to treat the other wounded. Jane stood staring at the elevator doors where Chakwas had disappeared. Shoulders slumped as her green eyes shimmered with tears ready to fall.

Jason pulled the woman into an embrace where she came apart instantly. Clinging to him like a life line as sobs shook her frame like a leaf on a tree.

No one in the large room said anything. The mission had taken a huge toll on all of them. But Jason felt it the worst. As he held Jane in an attempt to comfort her, he couldn't help but blame himself for what happened down there.

Because in the end...he may not have been able to change anything...

 **X**

 **A/N: Talk about a big blow to moral. Even after taking on Saren and coming out on top, Jason faces the possibility of losing a good friend despite his efforts to avoid it.**

 **The first part of this story is drawing steadier to a close, and things are bound to get worse before they get better. But all roads end eventually, it's just a matter how far you're willing to go to get there.**

 **I got more updates coming your way, be ready folks!**


	41. Chapter 40

**Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Mess Hall**

 **August 18, 2183 - 09:26 hours**

He hadn't slept a wink. Though given his posture and demeanor one wouldn't think that. Jason really wasn't one for showing weakness in a dire situation. And after everything that had happened up until now he had nearly become a master at hiding what he was really feeling.

But right now, he couldn't have felt any lower.

Five Alliance Marines died under his command. And Kaidan had been in surgery for the last ten or so hours from an overloaded biotic implant.

The nano soldier had been in the mess hall watching over the med-bay doors since he changed out of the suit. Jane had been with him, not saying a word as they stood vigilante. But a call from Alliance Command had come up and he promised to keep watch while she was away.

Everyone else from Virmire, including Captain Kirrahe and the surviving members of his team, had gotten away with an array of injuries. But they were at least alive and able to recover without difficulty.

Jason sighed and rubbed his eyes. It was always the same in the end. The harder he tried to changed the inevitable it ended up blowing up in his face. He had hopes of saving everyone on Virmire, and instead he ended up making one of his friends suffer.

Memories of his time in New York surfaced, fighting the Ceph and CELL while at the same time watching the Marines around him fighting and dying while he just moved on from one firefight to the next. Good men and women, fighting with all they had for not only their country, but for Earth. None of them having an advanced suit of armor that made them Super-Human or alien nanites in their bodies that made them stronger and heal faster.

"It wasn't your fault." he looked up from the table he was sitting at to see Garrus standing over him. "I've seen that look enough times to know what it means, Jason. The only one to blame in all of this is Saren."

The nano soldier chuckled humorlessly. "Nice words Garrus, but I find it hard to believe them." he looked back at the locked med-bay doors. "Despite everything I'm capable of, I let those men die. Kaidan stepped in to fight Saren when I should have put the bastard down right off."

"The price of victory, Jason." said Garrus solemnly. "As harsh as it sounds it's the truth. And in war there are always casualties."

Jason slammed his fists hard on the table and stood up, "God I'm so sick of hearing that fucking bullshit! Sick of war, death, suffering...GAH! I'm sick of all of it!" he shouted punching the wall next to him and leaving a dent in the bulkhead.

Garrus' eyes widened, mandibles slack. He had never seen his friend like this. Even before he was revealed to be Maverick, Jason had always been the picture of calm and collective under any situation.

Taking a few deep breaths, the Post-Human turned to the Turian with a dead look in his eyes. Garrus then saw what he had truly been through.

The team watched what he had experienced through his eyes, but never grasped what it had done to his mind. The sheer amount of death and destruction that surrounded and followed him wherever he went had left a deep impression on him that cut deeper than any physical scars could.

"But I can't just give it all up, can I?" Jason said with his voice just as hollow as his eyes. "Because there's always another mission. Another war to fight. Another enemy to kill. I don't get the luxury of hanging up my guns."

Garrus went to say something when the med-bay doors opened. Chakwas stepped out looking a few years older than she did the day before. "We managed to stabilize Lieutenant Alenko's condition. But the amount of damage done cannot be fixed on the ship. We need to transfer him to the medical facility on Arcturus for proper treatment."

"What's the diagnosis?" asked Jane urgently, coming around the corner after ending her call from Admiral Hackett.

Chakwas sighed, "The L2 biotic implant has always been a double edged sword for those unlucky enough to receive them. They are prone to overloading much quicker than the new L3 models, and the more it is used the more damage it causes the user."

"The amount of damage Kaidan has suffered is extensive. I operated as best I could, but I don't have the proper equipment to completely repair the damage. He will need to have his implant replaced and the damaged area repaired before he can start recovering." explained the doctor.

"Wait! The replacement of a biotic implant is a dangerous surgery. Aren't there any other options?" asked Jane worried about her surrogate brother.

"I'm afraid it's the only option." said Chakwas grimly. "The damage caused by the L2 overloading is serious. Without treatment..." she trailed off and the words hung in the air. "Arcturus station's medical wings have the equipment necessary to perform such a surgery. It's his only hope."

Jason closed his eyes. Simplifying the doctor's words; Kaidan would die without the surgery, but he could also die during the surgery from it's complexity. Either way the Lieutenant was balancing on a razor's edge.

"I'm sorry." he said loud enough that everyone looked in his direction. Opening his eyes, he locked gazes with Jane. "If I had just killed that bastard sooner this wouldn't have happened. Kaidan wouldn't be knocking on death's door."

The Commander's eyes widened, "Jason no, it's not-" He held up his hand stopping her.

"It's something I should have expected. No matter how many times I try to change things for the better, I'm reminded of why I'm not the hero people make me out to be. Just a weapon that kills and destroys." he said with such emptiness that Jane felt her heart clench.

"Jason, don't do this to yourself." said Garrus.

The nano soldier shook his head, "It's not something I don't already know. It's something I accepted long ago." he spun on his heel and left the room without another word, leaving the others watching after him.

"He's breaking." said Chakwas. "After everything he was forced to endure, I'm surprised that he hasn't already fallen into depression. His will must be amazingly resilient to withstand such stress and trauma for so long. But now it's all becoming too much."

Garrus looked at the doctor, "How bad is he?" he asked concerned.

"There is only one other person I've ever known to have such negativity in their eyes." Chakwas looked at Jane who's gaze was on the floor. "And I believe _she_ is the only one who can relate to what he is going through."

The Commander took a deep breath. "I'll go talk to him." she looked at the doctor. "Keep me updated on Kaidan's condition. I'll tell Joker to head to Arcturus immediately." with that she followed after her fellow Spectre.

X

 **Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Gym**

 **August 18, 2183 - 09:39 hours**

Finding the nano soldier hadn't been hard. Jane found him in the gym wailing on a heavy bag with total abandon. His face a mask of stone as he punched again and again.

Approaching slowly, Jane stood a few feet away and just watched him work out his frustrations out before speaking to him. "Jason." she said over the sounds of the strikes.

He paused mid-swing a moment before going back at it again. Jane stepped closer and put a hand on his arm stopping him again, "Jason, stop. I want to know what's wrong." she said gently.

Jason clenched his other fist a few times, "Everything." he said barely above a whisper. He looked at her and the Commander had to stifle a gasp seeing the eyes that had once held warmth and strength were now hollow and dead. "Everything is wrong." he said sinking down to his knees.

"What do you mean? Jason talk to me. You've helped me, let me help you." urged Jane kneeling next to him.

The Post-Human took a deep breath, "Do you know what it's like to be called a hero when you know that your not? To know that no matter what you do to make things better for everyone you know it will only cause more damage?" he asked cryptically. "Ever since I was given the nano suit I've been cursed. I may not suffer from symbiosis like the other nano soldiers before me. But I have to endure something much worse."

"In New York, I watched countless Marines die around me. Fighting to the last man, to the last bullet, but in the end they fell to the Ceph. I saw civilians slaughtered before my eyes as I fought. Stepping over the bodies of the dead to put the bastards down. People I couldn't save because I had to focus on stopping the Ceph." he continued.

Jason looked at the Commander, "I'm no hero Jane. I'm not even Human anymore. The nanites and cybernetics in my body have changed me on such a level I don't even know what I am anymore. Hargreave called it being _Post-Human_ , because he considered what the nano soldiers became because of symbiosis was the next evolutionary step for Humanity. But looking back, I know what it truly means."

He stood and faced the heavy bag again. "I became a science project, a living weapon of mass destruction, a FREAK!" he roared punching the heavy bag so hard the chain snapped and it stuck the far wall, making the dent that was already there even bigger.

Jane flinched, not from the outburst, but from the word 'freak'. One of the many names she heard people call the man before her from the video logs he showed them all before. _"Freak, Tinman, Monster, Cyborg."_ Everything Commander Lockhart and his fellow CELL assholes had called him came back to her mind and filling her with rage.

"So what if I have all this goddamn strength and power." Jason went on. "I can't even use it to save my friends when they need me!" he raged on looking at his hands and clenching them. "I gave everything to save New York, but in the end all I can think about are the ones I couldn't save in time. Just like what happened on the Citadel, and now on Virmire."

Jane stood up. Truly seeing how broken Jason really was. She always believed that deep down he was as broken as she was. Only now did she realize how right she was on the subject.

"Your not a freak." she said soothingly. "Your a soldier who was given both a gift and a curse. Something that I believe that only someone with an iron will could handle. And I may not have had to experience what you did, but I do know what you're going through." she explained.

"On Elysium, I only had a handful of fellow Marines that were on shore leave with me when the Batarian's attacked. We managed to rally the locals together to help us defend the colony, many of them had never even held a gun. We all fought for days, holding our defenses as best as we could until the Alliance came and helped clear the area."

The Commander had a far off look in her eyes as she spoke. "The Brass awarded me the Star of Terra for my bravery and leadership for holding the line. But to this day I remember those who lost their lives trying to save their homes while we waited for help. For all of my skills as a soldier and a leader, I couldn't save everyone. But that never stopped me from trying."

She reached out and grasped his large hand with her smaller one, "We can't save everyone, Jason. We're the best at what we do, but that doesn't make it any easier to bare. And the team knew the odds when we went down on Virmire that the situation could get bad fast. Kaidan stood fearless even though he was outmatched. That's one of the reasons I look to him as a brother, we're a lot like and are willing to fight for the right reasons no matter the cost to us."

Jane smiled up at him, "Prophet chose you to wear the nano suit for a reason. And seeing you fight, your strength and determination to do what is right, I can see what he saw in you to pass the torch."

The stress that had been baring down on Jason's shoulders lifted little by little the more Jane spoke to him. He found himself smiling back at her from the words. "Thank you, Jane." he said gripping her hand back gently. "I just wish I could have done more."

"I don't know how, but I know deep in my heart that you did everything you could." said Jane. "And Kaidan will be alright. He's strong, and I know he can get through this."

Silence enveloped them for a few moments before Jason broke it. "He compared me to himself. Saren I mean." he said shocking the Commander. "Saying that we are both a fusion of metal and flesh, more advanced than the rest of the galaxy."

"You are NOTHING like him." Jane said sternly. "You both may be more than what would be normal, but your fighting to save the galaxy. While he is trying to bring back a race of machines to wipe us all out."

Jason raised his hands, "Easy there Jane. I threw roughly the same thing back at him before we started fighting. I don't think he'll be making that comparison ever again." he said with a chuckle.

The Commander laughed as well. Drawing closer to the nano soldier like a magnet. She couldn't help but be as close to him as she could. It was an attraction that she had trouble fighting every day. "I know things can get a little much with all that's going on. Just remember you can talk to me if you need it. You have just as much a right to vent as I do at times." she said after calming down.

Giving a nod, Jason relaxed as the two slipped into a comfortable silence. Both Spectres happy to be around the other

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Briefing/Comm Room**

 **August 20, 2183 - 13:30 hours**

After putting it off for a few days so that everyone could get medical treatment, the crew minus Kaidan sat in the briefing room to go over what happened back on Virmire.

"How's the LT's condition?" asked Ashley, her leg in a holo-cast. A pulse round tore through her thigh and shattered her femur on impact. The doctor said she'd make a full recovery, but would be out of action for two weeks because of it.

"Stable. We're en route to Arcturus station so he can receive better treatment." said Jane from the head of the room next to Jason. "After that we'll head to the Citadel. Captain Kirrahe and his team will be dropped off there while we speak to the Council about what we have learned."

"Think they'll believe any of this?" asked Tali.

"They won't have much of a choice." said Jason activating his omni-tool.

 _ **"THERE IS A REALM OF EXISTENCE SO FAR BEYOND YOUR OWN YOU CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE IT. I AM BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION. I AM SOVEREIGN."**_ Sovereign's booming voice echoed through the room making everyone's blood freeze.

"That's the single most horrifying thing I've ever heard." said Ashley with a shiver. "And there are more of those things out there?"

"Yes, which is why we need to locate the Conduit and fast. Saren's probably got a strong lead already and we can't afford to lose more time." said Jane.

"Commander, if I may?" said Liara. "If the beacon we discovered in Saren's lab is similar to the one you found on Eden Prime, then it might have filled in the missing pieces of the vision. I might be able to finally help you piece it all together now."

Jane nodded, "You want to meld with me again. Alright, let's hope this works." she said walking to the center of the room and meeting the young Asari halfway.

"Relax Commander. Embrace Eternity!" said Liara with her eyes going black.

The two stood motionless, much like they had done before in the beginning of their mission. Minutes crawled by as the whole team waited for a reaction. After another minute the two gasped and separated from one another.

"...Goddess...the images were so...intense..." said Liara rubbing her forehead.

"Did they make better sense this time?" asked the Commander shaking her head.

"It's a distress call, a message sent out across the Prothean Empire. A warning against the Reapers, but the warning came too late." explained the young Asari.

"And the Conduit?" asked Jason.

Liara went through her thoughts, "There were images. Locations. Places I recognized from my research..." her head shot up. "Ilos! The Conduit is on Ilos!"

"I've never heard of this world." said Benezia focused intently on her daughter's words.

"I am not surprised. Ilos is in a region of space accessible only through the Mu Relay. That's why Saren needed the coordinates to it, it's the only way to get to Ilos." explained Liara.

"Then Ilos is our next destination." said Ashley.

"From what we could gather, the Mu Relay is deep in the Terminus Systems. Alliance ships aren't allowed there and neither are Spectres." said Garrus. "We'll need a good plan so we don't end up starting a galactic war."

"Saren will also have his entire fleet in orbit around Ilos to keep anyone away." added Benezia.

"We'll figure something out when we head to the Citadel. Until then, crew dismissed." said Jane as everyone filed out.

 _"I got the Council on vid-com guys. Figured you'd want to warn them about what's going on."_ said Joker over the intercom.

Jason slipped his helmet on as he and Jane faced the terminals. "Patch them through Joker." he said as the images appeared.

"Commander, Maverick. I'm pleased to see that your mission on Virmire was a success." said Tevos.

"Saren is formidable enough without an army of Krogan serving under him." agreed Sparatus.

"The Krogan would have served Sovereign. A Reaper." said Jane evenly.

"We ready about it in your reports. Sovereign. A sentient machine. A true artificial intelligence. This news is quite alarming." said Valern.

"I believe the evidence I submitted with our reports speaks for itself Councilors." said Jason leaving no room for bullshit. "If that thing is capable of controlling minds just by being in close proximity to people. Just consider what else it might be capable of."

"Saren could also be using this to fool you." said Sparatus. "Using his contacts on the Citadel to get reports on Shepard's visions and constructing a VI based on what she had seen."

"A VI doesn't grabbed one of my own and attempt to destroy his mind." hissed Jane indignantly. Jason touched her arm which calmed her slightly.

"You must be open to the idea that Saren is using false information to throw you off balance. Our own intelligence never turned up any corroborating information about what was shown to us." said Valern.

"Maybe that's the point." said Jason. "If you really did watch the whole conversation from beginning to end, then you would know that the Reapers wipe any trace of their genocide from the records before disappearing. That way the next cycle they harvest has no way of knowing of their existence."

"I'm still having trouble believing this as fact." said Sparatus.

"Sooner or later your just going to have to take what we say on faith, Councilor." said Jane.

"Try to see this from our perspective." reasoned Tevos. "Saren is a threat we can recognize. The Reapers, however, are a complete unknown. With no prior knowledge to go on other than what you've shown, us our hands are tied."

"Our decisions affect trillions of lives. We cannot simply act swiftly without covering all possible forms of reasoning." added Valern.

Jason gritted his teeth, he all but shoved a good chunk of evidence about the Reapers down their throats and they're still trying to pass it off. "So you'll do nothing..." he said grimly.

"The Council cannot take any official action. That is why we created the Spectres. You both have the authority to act as you see fit." said Tevos.

"If you truly believe Sovereign is as big a threat as you have revealed to us. You must take whatever steps are necessary to stop it. And Saren as well." said Valern.

"Good luck, to the both of you." said Tevos as the line ended.

"I'm really starting to hate becoming a Spectre." Jason growled.

"We have the coordinates to the Conduit and a way to get there. The Council may brush aside the Reaper threat, but they can't ignore that we have Saren's next location." said Jane.

"You honestly think the Council will risk starting a war with the Terminus over our intel?" asked Jason skeptically. "Look at what they did with the last batch of good information we gave them. It's like they don't give a damn about what we reveal to them as long we do our jobs."

"What are you saying?" asked Jane stepping up to him.

"I think going back to the Citadel is a bad idea." he said honestly. "I have a feeling that the moment we do the Council is going to fuck us over. I always trust my gut Jane. It's gotten me this far." of course his gut wasn't the only thing he was going off of.

The Commander stewed over it a moment, "Look, taking on Ilos alone would be suicidal. Especially with Saren's fleet being in the area. We'll need back up."

"I can understand that, but just think about it before you make that choice. They've stepped on our toes every step of the way, and now that it's coming to a head I think they're just waiting to spring the worst on us." Jason reasoned.

Jane sighed, "Alright, we're a team and I really do trust you Jason. I just hope that the Council wises up and helps us with this." she said before leaving the comm room.

Jason doubted whether or not he had swayed her away from wasting time going back to the Citadel. But he had to keep the pressure on to make it happen.

Consequences be damned, stopping Saren from reaching the Conduit was more important.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Cockpit**

 **August 21, 2183 - 12:55 hours**

It had been a rough 24 hours. The _Normandy_ had stopped at Arcturus station and dropped off Kaidan with the medical teams that had been waiting. They rushed him into surgery and the crew waited for the results.

Several hours passed. Since they were waiting for word from the Council regarding Ilos and the Conduit, the team hung around the Alliance station as one of their own was fighting for his life.

Jason sat with Jane the entire time until the lead doctor came out into the waiting room and told them that the implant replacement had been a success. Though it was going a long time before Kaidan would be ready to go back into combat again.

He told them it would be roughly six to eight months for the Lieutenant. He would have to go through rehab to get used to the L3 implant that replaced his burned out L2. But in the end he would be better than ever when he fully recovered.

Finally able to breath easy again, the two Spectres returned to the ship after checking on the resting biotic. Joker had caught them as they entered the airlock and told them that the Council had gotten back to them. Saying that they were massing a large multi-species fleet to deal with the rogue Spectre.

Jane nodded and informed the pilot to head straight to the Citadel, that the _Normandy_ would be at the head of that fleet when they went after Saren.

Jason watched her go shaking his head, _"She's making a mistake...But I can't tell her the truth without exposing my mission."_ he thought clenching his fists. _"Dammit this sucks!"_

"You know if you think any harder you might short circuit." said Joker from the cockpit.

"Can it, hop-along." said the nano soldier leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

The pilot turned his chair, "What's got your screws twisted too tight? You've been on edge since you and Shepard spoke with the Council the other day."

"I think we're making a mistake going back to the Citadel. The Council's done nothing but ignore our intel and push the real threats aside." said Jason. "And I know for a fact that going back there will only give them a chance to hinder us again."

"Maybe. But going to Ilos without back up would be like walking into a firefight naked." said Joker. "Granted I can probably get us in with the _Normandy_ 's stealth systems without trouble and bail before the Geth can take us out. But it's good to check all of our bases before taking on a whole fleet solo."

Jason sighed; "I understand, Joker. I really do. I just think that going there would be a waste of our time."

Joker shrugged, "Maybe things will work out. Who knows." he said turning back to the controls.

The nano soldier looked at the back of the pilot's chair and shook his head. "My instincts are never wrong, Joker." he said before heading back to the CIC. The helmsmen shivering a little at the conviction in the man's tone.

X

It took them a few hours to jump back to Citadel Space. Jason had been silent almost the entire trip. Jane had tried to convince him that it was the best option for them to go by, but the nano soldier knew different.

Regardless, there wasn't any going back as the ship docked at the station and the team filed out to head to the Council chambers.

Reaching the Citadel Tower, Jane and Jason entered the Council chambers while the rest of the squad waited back in the atrium. Udina was waiting for them as the Councilors approached their podiums.

"Good work you two. Thanks to you, the Council's finally taking real action against Saren." said the Ambassador.

"The Ambassador is correct. If Saren is foolish enough to attack the Citadel, we will be ready for him." said Tevos.

"Patrols are stationed at every mass relay linking Citadel Space to the Terminus Systems." added Sparatus.

"You think a blockade's going to stop him?" said Jane gobsmacked. "He's on Ilos looking for the Conduit right now! What are you going to do about that?"

"Ilos is only accessible through the Mu Relay, deep inside the Terminus Systems, Commander. If we send a fleet in there, the only possible outcome is full-scale war." said Valern.

Udina turned to the two Spectres, "Now is the time for discretion. Saren's greatest weapon was secrecy. Exposed, he is no longer a threat. This is over."

"Are you really that fucking dense?" said Jason having already had enough. "We've shown you evidence, accurate intel and even video footage from our suits from key points in our mission. And still you think that what we have brought forward isn't enough to prove our claims?"

"It isn't enough for us to risk galactic war with the Terminus. You have to consider the backlash from such an action." said Tevos.

"If Saren reaches the Conduit, the only backlash is going to be the deaths of countless lives from your inactions." Jason pressed. "What the hell's it going to take? The damn Reapers kicking down the front fucking door before you actually decide to do something?"

"That's enough Maverick!" growled Sparatus. "We made you a Spectre, don't make us regret our decision."

"I'm already regretting it." the nano soldier growled back. "Even after all of this time you still refuse to see what's right in front of your face! You let fear of the unknown cloud your judgement and that will end up costing us all dearly."

Jane grabbed his arm, shaking her head to let him know he needed to calm down. "One ship going into the Terminus Systems won't start a war. We can be discreet." she said changing back to the priority at hand.

"You detonated a nuclear device on Virmire. I wouldn't call that discreet!" said Sparatus.

"Your unique styles have served you both well in the Traverse. We recognize that. But Ilos requires a deft touch. We have the situation under control." said Tevos.

"If Saren finds the Conduit then we lose everything!" Jane exclaimed. "We have to get to Ilos before he can locate it!"

"Ambassador Udina, it appears that Commander Shepard and Maverick are not willing to let this go." said Sparatus crossing his arms.

"There are serious political implications here." started Udina. "Humanity's made great gains thanks to you both. But now you're becoming more trouble than you're worth."

Jason got in Udina's face, "You bastard. I knew you'd pull this shit! You don't care about anything other than improving Humanity's image. You'd sacrifice innocent lives just to come out on top!"

"You'd better back off _Maverick_. Just because you act like some kind of a hero doesn't mean you can speak to me that way. If it were my choice you'd be locked in an Alliance facility to learn just how exactly you're the way you are." hissed the Ambassador.

Jason saw red, grabbing Udina by his shirt and hoisting him off the ground like he was an insect. "You think you will be alive long enough to see them cart me off? Humanity will be looking for a new Ambassador before they got within 10 meters." he hissed dangerously.

Udina glared back at the crimson visor despite the fear creeping up within him. "Release me, or I swear the last thing you will ever see is the inside of a jail cell."

A hand gently held the nano soldier's arm. He looked down and saw Jane shaking her head again. "It's not worth it." she said before casting a glare at the Ambassador.

Sending one last glare at Udina, Jason set him back on his feet and took a step back.

Udina straightened his suit, "Your jobs are done. We've locked out all of the _Normandy's_ primary systems when you arrived. Until further notice, you're grounded." he said with finality as he turned to the Council.

"Your making a mistake." said Jane.

Udina turned to them, "I think it's time for you and your team to leave, Commander. This no longer concerns either of you. The Council can handle this. With my help of course." he said with a sense of smugness that made the Commander want to knock his head off.

Jane looked to Jason before heading for the stairs. The Post-Human looked at the Council and shook his head. "I can't believe I saved such nearsighted fools." he said loud enough for them to hear before following after the Commander.

 **X**

 **A/N: And the Council proves that they are once again about as useful as a Sh** flavored lolipop.**

 **I figured that Jason needed his own moment of coming to terms with everything that has happened. Every soldier has a breaking point, some just take much longer to reach than others. And with Shepard there to help him through it, he'll be more focused and determined to push forward.**

 **And with the end drawing closer, he's about to pull out all the stops.**


	42. Chapter 41

**Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Crew Deck**

 **August 21, 2183 - 16:02 hours**

Never before had she felt so defeated. She had faced unbelievable odds, held off a large Batarian force with only a small militia until help arrived, overcame N7 training at the top of her class, and became one of the first two Human Spectres. Even surviving a beacon that was meant only for the mind of an ancient race long extinct.

But the once unstoppable Commander Shepard had been stamped out of the fight by worthless politics. Just like Anderson before her.

Jane sat on the floor of the crew deck, back against a row of lockers with her legs drawn up to her chest. Arms crossed on top of her knees as she stared at the far wall.

The Council was dooming them all. The moment Saren found the Conduit it was game over. Why didn't she listen to Jason and go straight to Ilos instead of heading to the Citadel? He'd been right, the Councilors screwed them over again despite everything they both gave to them. She shook her head at her own stupidity in thinking they would actually do something to help them.

Footsteps caught her attention. She looked up to see Jason standing over her wearing an Alliance uniform, his cobalt eyes looking into her green ones. Not with discontent, but with understanding. "You okay?" he asked putting his hands in his pockets.

Jane shook her head, "No, I'm not. You were right. Dammit, why the hell didn't I take you on your word? We'd be out there stopping Saren right now instead of being on lockdown." she said banging her head lightly against the lockers behind her.

Jason sighed; "You know this is the part where a lot of people would say 'I told you so'. But that's not important. What we need to do is think about our next course of action."

The Commander looked up at him with raised eyebrows, "We've been grounded, Jason. And what's worse is that Saren's getting closer to the Conduit as we speak. If he finds it than we're all dead!"

"That's why we're going to find a way out of this." said Jason strongly. "As a team."

Jane shook her head, "I don't know how we can. After everything we've done they just shut us down like this. What can we do?"

Jason rolled his shoulders, "Endure, Jane. They may have taken us out of the game but it's far from over." he looked down at his fellow Spectre and spoke with a tone she had never heard before. "The question is what are _you_ going to do _Commander_? Is this how the galaxy will fade? With one of it's best sitting on the ground letting those assholes walk over her? Is this the final act of valor of the great Commander Shepard? The Lioness of Elysium? Hero of the Blitz. One of the two first Human Spectres?" he pushed on. "Not on my watch."

Jane looked up at him, warmth filling her chest as the conviction in his words. "You really think we can do this?" she asked.

He smirked, "You remember when I had you guys watch those vids a while back? Let me quote something that'll fit this." he held out his hand, grasping hers and pulling her up to her feet. "Maximum Effort!"

The Commander laughed, remembering that particular quote well. But having been sitting for a while, she lost her footing and stumbled forward.

Jason caught her before she could fall, her chest pressed tight against his as he helped keep her stable. It was then that she truly saw the size difference between them. The nano soldier stood tall and broad over her petite and athletic 5'7'' frame.

His arms being around her filled the red-head with warmth and safety she hadn't felt since her family was alive. She knew that no matter what happened in the outside world she could escape it in this embrace.

Jade-green eyes met cobalt-blue. Whatever resolve Jane had left in her to keep their relationship platonic snapped. Their faces drew together, lips not even an inch apart as their eyes slid closed-

 _'Uh, sorry to interrupt you guys. But I just got a message from Captain Anderson.'_ said Joker over the intercom making them pause.

Jane let out a frustrated breath while Jason chuckled. "Were you spying on us, helmsman?" asked the Post-Human at the ceiling.

 _'No...just knew you both were on the ship and figured I'd pass the message on.'_ came the reply. _'The Captain said to meet him at Flux. That club down in the wards.'_

Jason nodded, "I know the place. Thanks Joker." he looked back at Jane. "Guess we better go meet with the Captain."

Jane nodded, still a little flustered about what almost happened. "R-Right. Better suit up and see what he wants." she turned to leave but felt a large hand grasp around her wrist. She looked back to see Jason grinning before he pulled her back to him like before.

There was no way in hell he was going to let this particular opportunity pass.

The Commander went to say something but the words died instantly when she felt his lips over her own. Her face heated up in moments as her eyes slid closed, arms going around the Post-Human's shoulders as she kissed him back.

It lasted nearly a minute, but all of the pent up emotions that had been going on between them was released in that one kiss. Jane's toes curled inside her boots while Jason squeezed her hips as their bodies pressed closer together; both craving more contact from the other as their lips moved in sync.

They separated panting for air. Jane noticed that at some point Jason had pressed her up against the lockers, her body sandwiched comfortably between his body and the metal surface.

She ran her hands over the back of his neck and head as she tried to slow her heartrate. "Jason...I...wow..." she said still a little out of breath.

The nano soldier grinned again, "Glad you approve. Now I think that Anderson is waiting for us. We shouldn't disappoint." he leaned forward and gave her a smaller kiss that took what little breath she had left away. "But I intend on coming back to this...soon." he said in a tone that made her knees a little weak.

Jason turned and headed for his quarters to suit up. Jane watched him go, her cheeks still dusted pink as her heart hammered against her chest. There was just no fighting it anymore, and Jane didn't bother to.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Flux Bar & Club- Upper Wards**

 **August 21, 2183 - 16:35 hours**

Jason, Jane, Benezia and Garrus all entered Flux and found Captain Anderson sitting at a table toward the back of the club. "I'm glad you came. I heard what happened." he said as they approached the table.

"They pulled us off the mission. Just like when they forced you to give up the _Normandy_." said Jane taking a seat across from him.

"I know. I'm sorry. I wanted to warn you, but there was no way to get a message to you before you docked." said Anderson. "I know your both pissed off right now, but you can't give up. They think this is over, but we all know it's not. You have to go to Ilos. You have to stop Saren from using the Conduit!"

"The only ship that can get us into the Terminus Systems undetected is grounded." said Jason. "And sadly, my VI can't hack Citadel Control without there being serious drawbacks."

"If we can override the Ambassador's orders we can get them to bring the _Normandy_ back online. You can be in the Terminus Systems before anyone even knows you're gone." said the Captain.

"We steal the _Normandy_ then you're the one holding the bag, Captain." said Jane.

"And if Saren finds the Conduit, life as we know it is over. The Reapers will destroy us. Humans, Asari, everybody." countered Anderson. "You're the only ones that can stop him. So I'll do whatever it takes to get you on the _Normandy_ and off this station."

Jane nodded seriously, "I won't forget this, Captain. I promise."

"How do you plan to unlock the _Normandy's_ systems?" asked Benezia.

"I can unlock the _Normandy_ from one of the consoles in the Citadel Control Center. You'll have a few minutes before anyone realizes what's happened." said Anderson.

"That's a restricted area patrolled by armed guards. How will you get in?" asked Garrus.

"Leave that to me. Just make sure you're on the _Normandy_ when the systems come back online." said the Captain.

Jason shook his head, "You're going to get yourself killed. A safer option would be to use the terminal in Udina's office to override the lockdown."

Anderson nodded at the idea, "You're right. If I'm lucky he won't be there. If he is I'll just have to come up with something."

"You could be charged with treason, Anderson." said Jane.

"We don't have a lot of options. I break into the Ambassador's computer, or I take my chances with the patrols in Citadel Control." replied the Captain.

"Your safest route would be to use Udina's computer. Better to be safe doing that than dead." said Jason.

Benezia stepped close to the table, "I will assist the Captain in any way I can. Having the two of us unlock the _Normandy's_ systems will improve the odds." she said honestly.

"You're already on thin ice with the Council for joining Saren. Whether you were in your right state of mind or not, it won't look good on your part." Anderson said to the Matriarch.

"I still have much to atone for, Captain. And making sure that Saren and Sovereign fail in their mission takes priority." said Benezia before turning to Jason and Jane. "Just please, look out for my daughter."

Jane nodded, "We promise."

Anderson stood next to the elder Asari, "Are you two ready to get the hell off this station?"

"Let's go put this asshole down." said Jason with Jane and Garrus nodding in agreement as they headed back to the ship.

X

Udina sat in his office working on his terminal when his door opened. Anderson and Benezia both walking inside as the Ambassador looked up. "Anderson? What are you-?" Benezia held out her hand and froze him in stasis as Anderson crossed the room and started hacking the terminal.

"What are you doing! You're going to regret this Anderson, you traitor!" Udina said outraged.

The Captain glanced at him before delivering a hard right cross that knocked the Ambassador out cold. "I've wanted to do that for a long time." he said as he went back to unlocking the _Normandy_.

X

On the _Normandy_ , Joker, Jason and Jane all looked at the ship's controls. Waiting for the red light on the board to turn green signifying their release.

The light switched green, the ship shook when magnetic clamps released and the ship. "Get us out of here Joker!" ordered Jane as the pilot's hands flew across the controls. The _Normandy_ powered up and flew out of the docking area of the Citadel. Slipping past the massing fleet and into the waiting mass relay before they figured out what happened.

"We're clear guys. Aw man, no one's following us. I was hoping the Council would send some ships after us. Give me a chance to really put the _Normandy_ through her paces." said Joker.

"Saren's still out there. Maybe you can play hide and seek with Sovereign." said Jason smirking.

Joker rolled his eyes, "You know, it doesn't seem like much fun when you say it. We should be at Ilos within the next six hours. I'll let you know when were a few minutes out."

The two Spectres nodded before heading into the CIC. "Stealing the _Normandy_ and running from the Citadel fleet. Seems like a bad case of role reversal." said Jane.

Jason shrugged, "Maybe, but it does give you a good dose of adrenaline don't it."

Jane smirked, "I guess. You help hijack an Alliance vessel for all the girls?" she asked winking at him.

"Just the ones that challenge me." he said back with a grin he had a feeling the Commander could see through his visor. "We better go make sure the crew's ready for this. Once we get there it'll be an all out war to stop Saren from reaching the Conduit."

Jane nodded as the two split up to make sure everything was ready for when they hit the Prothean world.

X

 **Commander Jane Shepard**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Private Quarters**

 **August 21, 2183 - 19:18 hours**

Jane sat at her desk, going over a few last minute details of the coming siege of Ilos. She and Jason had spent the last couple hours checking on the crew and the supplies they had for when they hit planet side.

The plan was for them to be dropped in the Mako, the _Normandy's_ stealth systems would help them slip through any fleet blockade the Geth would have set up on Saren's behalf giving them a chance to get planet-side without trouble.

Ashley was pissed that her injury prevented her from going with them. So she resigned to making sure the team's weapons were in peak condition for the mission. Garrus had been more than happy to help the Gunnery Chief in her tasks.

Liara had been upset that her mother chose to stay behind and help Anderson make sure they escaped. But was more than happy to help them take Saren down once and for all.

Everyone was ready. And so was she.

The door to her room opened making her turn around. Jason leaned against the door frame wearing a casual black t-shirt and jeans, a small smile on his face as he looked in her direction. "Hey." he said lowly.

"Hey." replied Jane closing down her terminal and standing.

Jason walked into the room, closing and locking the door behind him. "We've got about three hours before we hit Ilos. I thought you could use some company." he said standing in front of her.

Jane's thoughts were running wild. Ever since they kissed she found it hard to keep how she felt in check. She had been so unsure of how she felt and how to go about it that she just tried to keep it all buried. But the more time went on the more her defenses were chipped away.

Jason Harlow was a strong, compassionate, and enigmatic man. Once he put his mind and heart to something he couldn't be stopped. It was all of this, his skills on the battlefield, and his kindness when he was off of it that attracted her to him.

There was no one in the Traverse like him, and no one else she would ever feel this way about. The time they'd spent together, and the intense kiss they shared made her realize what her feelings truly meant about the man standing before her.

"Jason." she said drawing a little closer to him. "Do you remember the talk we had after Noveria? About the way I feel about you?" her voice shook a little. Whether from excitement or fear it was hard to tell.

"I remember." replied the nano soldier with a small smile.

"I was...I was afraid to tell you the truth because I've never...felt this way about someone." she admitted. "It's not something I'm used to. Not since Mindoir."

She stood right in front of him, raising her hand and putting it on his chest. "But ever since I met you, things have been different. I can't stop thinking about everything we've been through together. How similar we are. And how much I want to be around you. It's all new to me, but I really like it."

Jason reached up and held her hand in his, "I've felt the same way, Jane. With everything that's happened to me I never thought I'd meet someone who would understand. Someone I could confide in. Someone I could trust with everything. It's all new to me too, but I'd like to explore it more...with you." he said with an emotion in his eyes that got Jane's blood pumping.

"I'd...I'd like that." said the Commander smiling brightly. "Where should we start?"

Jason's eyes turned smoldering as he held her cheek with his other hand, "How about, right here." he said before kissing her.

Jane's arms went around his neck and deepened their contact, his arms going around her waist and lifting her high enough off the floor so that her legs went around his hips. A familiar position for them both even though one had trouble remembering it.

The kiss quickly turned into a full blown makeout session. Jason pressed Jane into the wall as their tongues fought for dominance; hips grinding against one another causing noises of pleasure to come out of them both.

Pulling away from her lips, Jason trailed kisses down the side of her pale neck. The Commander gasped when he touched a very sensitive spot just under her ear as he left a trail of fire with his mouth. "Jason..." she sighed as her nails clawed at his back.

The nano soldier's hands went from her hips up her shirt, Jane gasped again when she felt him touch the skin of her stomach and sides. She leaned back, grabbing the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head revealing a tight black bra before attacking his lips again.

They moved away from the wall and collapsed on the bed. Jane on top straddling Jason's waist as the temperature in the room started going up.

Jane leaned back allowing Jason to remove his own shirt. "Are you sure about this, Jane? It's not too soon?" he asked running his hands up her sides.

She shivered at the contact before smiling lustfully down at the Post-Human. "These could be our last moments. I want to make the best of every minute we might have left." she said reaching behind her back and undoing her bra. Her breasts sprang free as she tossed the garment aside before going back to Jason's lips.

Overcoming his shock, Jason rolled them over so that he was on top. Jane's legs wrapping around his hips again without breaking their lips apart.

They came up for air and looked into each other's eyes as they panted for breath. An array of emotions flowed from both of them. They could feel the connection much stronger than they ever did before.

With quick and precise fingers, the nano soldier undid the Commander's pants and slid them off her legs and cast them aside with her panties, socks and boots before taking a long, lingering look at the sight before him.

Jane's body was a nice pale shade with softly defined muscles from her training but still retained a strong, feminine charm. His eyes trailed from her long, tone legs to her curved hips and flat stomach. A few scars dotted her flesh, a handful of pink marks from the battles she had fought and won.

The nano soldier's eyes continued their path; going over her perky C-cups tipped with dark-pink nipples to her slender neck before finally settling on her face. Her red hair fanned out behind her like a halo, a light coloring of her cheeks and an unsure look in her eyes.

He didn't know why she would feel unsure about anything. She was gorgeous, a literal warrior goddess made flesh...and she was laying here before him.

Jason stroked the side of her face along the scar on her cheek, "You're beautiful, Jane." he whispered with such admiration that she was struck speechless.

Tears brimmed in Jane's eyes as she held his face in her hands. "I...I think I'm in love with you, Jason..." she said with her voice shaking with unbridled emotion.

Shock came across Jason's face, but it quickly turned into a gentle smile. "I think I'm in love with you too." he said without hesitation. They shared another kiss, words no longer needing to be spoken.

They say that actions speak louder than words. And the two Spectres had a lot to say to one another.

 **X**

 **A/N: Que Romance achievement/trophy here. And not a moment too soon.**

 **Ilos is coming next, and soon the beginning of the end for this part of the series. But I am still just getting started.**


	43. Chapter 42

**Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Private Quarters**

 **August 21, 2183 - 21:01 hours**

Staring at the ceiling above him, Jason couldn't help but think back on when he first arrived in this universe. How much things had changed for him over the last three years. He knew that his presence would ultimately alter the timeline in more ways than he could understand. But a large part of him knew that none of that mattered as long as he did what he knew was right.

Jane shifted in her spot beside him, head on his shoulder with her arm draped over his torso as she slept peacefully. They'd spent the first hour or so expressing just how much they had fallen for one another. After saying a few sweet nothings to each other she had fallen asleep radiating happiness.

Jason had never seen her so happy, and he made his mission to ensure that she stayed that way for as long as they were together.

He shook his head smiling. If anyone told him a few years ago that he'd wind up in a relationship with Commander Shepard he would have beaten the hell out of them for wise cracking. But after everything they shared, the nano soldier just couldn't see a life without her in it.

She had gotten so deep in his heart that there was no chance of it being empty again. But with all these good feelings came a cloud of dread. The future was going to be hell, and Jason knew that Jane would be facing some serious shit. But the biggest thing clouding his thoughts was the first of several horrible things to come.

The Collector attack on the _Normandy_.

The mere thought of it made his heart nearly stop. Jane would be killed in the attack along with several other crewmen. But with the way he changed certain things would it be different? Better? Worse? He had no way of knowing. _'Guess I'll have to deal with that when it happens.'_ he thought to himself. _'But I'm not going to stand by and watch her die. I won't let those bug bastards take her away after I just got her in my life.'_

"Jason?" The Post-Human looked down and saw jade-green eyes looking back at him. "Are you okay? You've been staring hard at the ceiling for a few minutes now." she said a little concerned.

Jason smiled, "Just thinking about the mission, and what's going to happen when we beat Saren and stop the Reapers." he lied smoothly.

She nodded before nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck. Her bare legs intertwining themselves with his under the sheet covering them. "If I had known your stamina in the bedroom matched your stamina on the battlefield I would have prepared myself better." she muttered into his skin.

"If I remember correctly, darlin. You were the one on top throughout most of it." said Jason running his fingers up her back and making her shiver. "I'm definitely not complaining though, I like seeing you from that angle."

Jane muttered something about crazy/sexy super soldiers into his neck before sitting up, the sheet wrapped lightly around her chest. "Jason, what does this mean? For us?" she asked seriously.

Jason sat up on his elbows, "What do you want it to mean? What do you want from this, Jane?" he asked motioning between the two of them.

The Commander bit her lip, "I like _this_. Us I mean. This is the first real connection I've had with someone in years, I just want everything to go right."

Leaning up against the headboard, Jason pulled Jane into his chest and held her. "How about we take things one step at a time. It takes a lot of work when it comes to relationships. But considering what we each have been through, I think we can handle it. If we work together that is."

Jane smiled, "Sounds good to me." she said snuggling into his warmth.

It was then a memory flashed through her mind. Images of Jason in the nano suit, walking into the Ceph's Central Spire. His body ablaze as the nanites in the air ripped the suit apart while he continued to push forward.

She didn't know she had been crying until Jason took notice. "Jane? Jane what's wrong?" he asked worried while wiping the tears away with his fingers.

Wiping her eyes herself, she pressed her forehead against his. "Just...don't do anything stupid, Jason. I can't lose you...not after all of this. I don't think my heart could take it."

Jason was shocked to say the least, but he understood where she was coming from. "I'll do the best that I can. That much I can promise you." he held her face in his hands and kissed her gently. "You won't lose me. No matter what, I'll always come back to you." he said smiling.

Jane smiled back before kissing him again.

 _"Heads up everyone. ETA to the Mu Relay 30 minutes."_ came Joker's voice throughout the ship.

The two Spectres sighed, "Duty calls." Jane muttered not wanting to leave the bed or Jason.

"That it does." said Jason, also not happy about being interrupted. "Well, Saren's ass isn't going to kick itself." he said as they got out of bed and started gathering their clothes. Jason peeked over his shoulder and got an eyeful of Jane's bare form in the light of the room.

Looking over at him, Jane gave a sultry smirk. "Like what you see?" she asked winking.

"Considering I spent the last two hours getting to know it _inside_ and out? Yes, yes I do." said the nano soldier grinning while the Commander's face glowed red at the innuendo.

Not wanting to be outdone, she turned to face him. Walking forward with a noticeable sway in her naked hips until she stood in front of him. "Just remember," she said with lust in her voice as her hand reached up to the back of Jason's neck. "The only one getting inside of _this_." she motioned to her body. "Is standing in front of me."

She pulled the Post-Human down into a searing kiss that made both their heads spin. When they separated the only thing Jason wanted to do was throw her back on the bed for another round.

Jane patted his cheek, "Now get dressed, _Maverick._ We have a galaxy to save." she said gathering up her clothes.

They dressed quickly, sharing one last kiss before Jason left to put on the nano suit. Jane sat on her bed, memories of what they did and what they shared in the room together filled her mind and her heart. She'd never felt like this before, and she really liked it.

Her omni-tool chimed snapping her out of her thoughts. Looking it over she saw that it was a message from Jason;

 _ **Just so you know. I'm intending on taking you on a real first date when all of this is over. So be ready for it darlin. - J**_

Jane smiled and blushed. Now she had another reason to put an end to Saren's madness.

X

The _Normandy_ flew straight toward the Mu Relay. Pulling up along side the large structure as the eezo contained within charged the ship before catapulting it off into the distance.

After a few minutes, the ship came out it's jump near a second relay as it drew closer to Ilos. "Uhh...We've got company guys." said Joker as Jane, Jason, Liara, Tali, Ashley and Pressly stood around the cockpit behind him.

"Have their sensors picked us up yet?" asked Liara.

"Stealth systems are engaged. Unless we get close enough for a visual, they won't have any idea we're here." said Joker.

"Geth don't use windows." said Jason. "Their machines, it'd be considered a structural weakness on their part." he explained at the odd looks he was getting.

"He's right." agreed Tali. "Using viewports on their ships would be outside of their nature."

"Picking up some strange readings from the planet's surface." said Pressly from a nearby console.

"Take us in, Joker. Lock in on the coordinates." said Jane.

"Negative on that, Commander. The nearest landing zone's two clicks away." said Pressly.

"You'll never make it in time on foot." said Ashley from the communications terminal. "Get us something closer!" she called over her shoulder.

"There is nowhere closer! I've looked!" Pressly shouted.

"Just drop us in the Mako like we planned." said Jason.

"You need at least a hundred meters of open terrain to pull off a drop like that. The most I can find near Saren is twenty." said Pressly.

"Twenty meters? We'll never get in close enough for a drop." said Ashley.

"We have to try." said Liara.

"Are there any other landing zones?" asked Tali.

"Negative, and the descent angle's too steep. And we don't have any other options." said Pressly.

"It's a suicide run! We can't-"

"I can do it." Joker said cutting Ashley off.

"Joker?" asked Jane.

"I can do it." the helmsman repeated. "It'll be tight, but I can get you guys in there."

"If there's ever anyone in the Traverse to trust with this kind of thing. I'm pretty sure Joker here is at the top of the list." said Jason patting the back of the pilot's chair.

Joker smirked, "I won't let you guys down."

Jane nodded and looked at the team, "Gear up and head down to the Mako. Joker, drop us right on top of that bastard." she said as they filed out of the room.

"Good luck guys." said Ashley as she continued to work the comms.

X

On Ilos, a battalion of Geth ranging from Troopers to Armatures marched down an old stone path and into a tunnel network before them.

Saren was in the center of the group, glowing eyes looking forward in determination as he flexed the fingers on his new arm. Fury still deep in the back of his mind toward the Human that had torn off his last one during their confrontation. And he vowed to make sure that Maverick paid dearly for his humiliation.

The sound of a ship's engines roared through the air. The Turian looked to the sky and snarled when he saw the _Normandy_ barreling down through the atmosphere toward his position.

On board, Joker gritted his teeth as he timed the decent and angle just right as the ship drew in closer.

"You two, keep moving. Inside, NOW!" Saren ordered as the _Normandy_ angled up and dropped the Mako.

The last of the Geth got inside, Saren spun and glared at the rover as the reinforced doors leading to the bunker slammed shut and sealed. The Mako's breaks squealed as it came to a stop just over a foot away from the large doors.

"Dammit! So close." said Jane smashing her fists on the steering wheel. "Everyone out, we have to find a way to get in there and get after him."

Fitting all six of them into the Mako wasn't hard, there was just enough space to fit all of them. But it was still a bit close for those crammed in the troop compartment. Which was why they were all glad to be out in the open when they got out.

"We have to get inside this bunker before Saren finds the Conduit!" said Garrus looking the large door over for structural weakness.

"We'd need some serious ordinance to get through here." said Jason twirling an explosive arrow in his fingers. "And my arrows and explosives won't be enough to punch through."

"If Saren could open it, than so can we." said Liara. "There must be some kind of security override somewhere in this complex."

"Then that's our objective. Let's move." said Jane as they all drew weapons and began to head deeper into the complex. Two Geth Troopers greeted them, but were quickly cut down by the team of six.

"Heh, tin cans don't stand a chance." said Wrex racking his Claymore.

They moved quickly into a courtyard just outside the landing zone. Jason scanned the area with his visor as three large blips appeared on his motion tracker. **"Ordinance Incoming."** "Heads down!" he shouted as a plasma blast exploded against the wall behind them.

"Armatures!" shouted Jane as they took cover. "Garrus and I will take the first. Wrex and Liara the Second!" ordered the Commander as they fired upon the large Geth.

"Guess that leaves the last for us Tali." said Jason to the Quarian as they got into cover. Jason drew his bow and knocked an explosive arrow. "Care to do the honors?" he asked drawing the string back.

"My pleasure." said Tali firing up her omni-tool and blasting the large Geth with a powerful overload. Thanks to Jason and SECOND, everyone's omni-tools and the programs in them had gotten a huge upgrade. The Armature's shields sparked before shutting down allowing Jason to pop up and fire the explosive.

The Armature's body shook from the blast as it ripped into its armor. It shuttered with a few sparks coming out but it remained standing. Jason put his bow away and drew his new assault rifle and fired into the opening of the platforms armor and shredding the insides until its optic dimmed and it collapsed.

When the other synthetics fell dead, the team regrouped and headed for the structure in front of them. Going down several stone corridors covered in foliage, they kept their eyes out for any Geth that could have been hiding.

"Are these the Protheans?" asked Garrus looking at the odd looking statues that were scattered everywhere.

"They must be. If this is one of their worlds." said Liara looking over a statue with a close eye, her expertise coming out.

"No time for that now. Lets get to that security override." said Jane as they moved forward.

They stood upon a landing above another courtyard where several Geth Shock Troopers and a Destroyer where waiting. Garrus, Jane, and Jason took out their sniper rifles and started to pick the Geth off one by one.

"Got 2." said Jason.

"3." said Jane smirking at Jason in victory.

"4. I win." said Garrus smirking as they started moving again.

"The Destroyer counts as one Garrus."said Jason as the team made their way down to the next courtyard.

The Turian sighed, "Fine, I still beat you though Jason."

"But you tied with me." said the Commander smirking to herself. A gunshot went off and a Stalker fell dead to the ground in front of them.

Jason pulled the bolt back on his rifle to vent it before looking at the others, "Now we're all tied." he said smugly as they kept moving.

The squad encountered more Geth, but with each one taken down they started to realize that the number of synthetics was much lower than what they were expecting. "You know, you'd think Saren would have a lot more guards stationed around the complex." said Tali sweeping with her shotgun.

"He must be focusing most of his forces to finding the Conduit and securing it." said Jane as they entered an old elevator. "This gives us a chance to catch up, let's not waste it."

The lift descended for several floors before opening up to a long room with lights and a few terminals active. "This place still has power. There must be a generator nearby." said Liara.

"From the looks of this place it must be the command center for the complex." said Garrus scanning the room. "Saren's troops must have sealed the doors from here after he went inside."

The squad spread out and began to cover the room from different angles when two Destroyers and a Prime both came out of hiding and began to fire on them. Dropping into cover, the team returned fire. One of the Destroyer's shields went down, a blast from Wrex's Claymore blew it to pieces as the remaining platforms kept up the assault.

Scanning the room, Jason highlighted two deactivated Armatures on either side of the room hooked up to terminals. "Time for a little backup." he said bringing up his omni-tool. He targeted the one on the right first as he began to connect the frequency nodes.

 **"Connection Established."** chimed SECOND.

The Armature unfolded itself and charged its main gun. The blast tore into the second Destroyer and reduced it to salvage while causing damage to the Prime's shields.

Jason turned to the second Armature and quickly hacked that one too. **"Connection Established."** the platform sprang to life and fired on the Prime with it's twin. The joint fire from both hacked Geth and the team dropped the Prime in seconds and giving the squad a straight shot for the control room.

"Nice touch." said Jane as they passed the Armatures that remained on standby in case anymore Geth tried to flank them.

"Thought they could help." said replied Jason as they walked up a ramp and into the control room.

Going through the various panels, Jane found one that seemed to still be functioning and activated it. "That should do it. Come on, Saren's already got a headstart. We need to find him before he reaches the Conduit." said the Commander.

"Unless he's already found it. Then we're just walking into a trap." commented Wrex.

"Good thing we all love a challenge." said Jason as they began to leave the room.

Liara stopped as something lit up in the center of the room. "Wait! Something's happening." she said as everyone looked at the anomaly that resembled a damaged hologram.

The image garbled something in a language most of them didn't understand. "It sounds like a message, but I can't seem to understand the language." said Tali intrigued.

"It must be Prothean." said Jason as he tried to have SECOND decipher the language. "Being over 50,000 years old, not many things function as well as they did before."

"I...understand some of it." said Jane concentrating. "It's a warning against the Reaper invasion. It's saying something about the Conduit too, but it's too degraded to help with anything. We should get going." she said as they all filed out.

Jason looked back at the hologram a moment before following after the others. _"I have to scan some Prothean tech before we leave. It'll give us an advantage later."_ he thought as they headed back to the lift and rode it back to the main courtyard they were in before.

Taking out a few stragglers along the way, the team got back into the Mako as the bunker's reinforced door opened allowing them to surge through. "I thought Saren would have set some kind of a trap for us." said Garrus from the navigator's seat.

"Seeing us coming down on him must have lit a fire under his ass." said Jason from the turret seat. "But we should stay alert. We may not see anything yet but he might have left something to distract us."

They kept driving through the tunnels leading further and further into the planet. The walls they passed had several long oval containers sticking out through the the roots and foliage that covered them.

"What are all of those things on the walls?" asked Tali.

"They look to be stasis pods of some kind." said Liara. "Perhaps the Protheans tried to keep themselves alive through cryogenic freezing."

"And since the power went out long ago, this bunker became their tomb." said Jason grimly.

 **"Hostiles Detected."** the nano soldier swung the cannon around and fired. Blowing three Rocket Troopers apart as they launched a volley of explosives at them. Jane hit the thrusters, having the Mako leap into the air as the missiles flew under them.

"Guess Saren left us a few gifts after all." grunted Wrex as the rover kept moving.

After another minute. Jane slammed on the breaks as a glowing orange shield sprang up in front of them and sealing off the tunnel. "What the hell is that?" she said looking it over. A second barrier appeared behind them boxing them in.

"It's a trap! Saren must have set an ambush!" said Garrus.

Stopping the rover, everyone got out and looked around. "I don't think Saren's behind this." said Liara.

Jason walked toward the only opening available to them. "There's an elevator over here. It looks like someone's trying to lead us somewhere." he looked back at the others. "Jane, Liara and I will go on ahead. You guys stay with the Mako and make sure nothing happens."

After getting confirmation, the team of three entered the lift and punched the panel. "What do you think this is?" wondered Liara as they descended.

"Whatever it is, hopefully it's friendly. We've got enough problems." said Jane.

The door opened to a chamber filled with more of the pods they saw out in the bunker. The path before them leading to a terminal at the end of an elevated platform.

Weapons drawn, the team trekked forward. "What is this place?" Jane whispered while keeping her assault rifle ready.

Jason looked at the end of the platform as a hologram appeared before the terminal. "We're about to find out." he said as they stopped in front of the projection.

 **"You are not Prothean. Yet I sense that one of you is part machine dissimilar to that of our enemies. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the beacons."** spoke the ancient VI.

"Looks like a badly damaged VI program." said Liara.

 **"I do not sense the taint of indoctrination upon any of you. Unlike the other that has passed recently. Perhaps there is still hope."** said the VI

"How can we understand you? And how did you know that part of me is machine?" asked Jason.

 **"I have been monitoring your communications since you arrived at this facility. I have translated my output into a format you will comprehend."** said the program. **"As for your condition, I was able to scan your form when you entered this chamber. You are similar to the other that has passed, but you are not indoctrinated. The technology you possess is far more advanced than that of your compatrons."**

 **"My name is Vigil. You are safe here, for the moment. But that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe."** said Vigil.

"What exactly are you? Some kind of Artificial Intelligence?" asked Jane.

 **"I am an advanced organic analysis system with personality imprints from Ksad Ishan, chief overseer of the Ilos research facility."** replied the program.

"Its like SECOND." said Jason. "An AI that can read, analyse and learn from everything around it. Though Vigil seems to be far more sentient. But SECOND is almost an imprint of Barnes."

 **"I sensed the other intelligence within you upon your rival. It is constructed with similar functions to my own. Whoever created it would have proved to be on equal ground with some of our engineers."** stated Vigil.

"Why did you bring us down here?" asked Jane.

 **"You must break a cycle that has continued for millions of years. But to stop it, you must understand, or you will make the same mistakes we did."** said the program. **"The Citadel is the heart of your government. As it was with us, and as it has been with every civilization that came before us. But the Citadel is a trap. The station is actually an enormous mass relay. One that links to dark space, the empty void beyond the galaxy's horizon."**

 **"When the Citadel relay is activated, the Reapers will pour through. And all that you know will be destroyed."** Vigil finished ominously.

"How did no one discover that the Citadel was actually a relay?" asked Liara in shock.

 **"The Reapers are careful to keep the greatest secrets of the Citadel hidden. That is why they created a species of seemingly benign organic caretakers."** said the VI.

"The Keepers." said Jane now understanding.

 **"Yes. The Keepers maintain the station's most basic functions. They enable any species that discovers the Citadel to use it without fully understanding the technology. Reliance of the Keepers ensures no other species will ever discover the Citadel's true nature. Not until the relay is activated and the Reapers invade."** said Vigil.

"You said that the Reapers came from dark space. How can they survive out there?" asked Jane.

"That's pretty easy when you think about it." said Jason getting their attention. "Kind of like the Geth. They must put themselves in stasis until they detect that the Citadel relay is open. They are machines, it must be simple for them."

 **"He is correct."** said Vigil. **"This also allows them to survive for thousands upon thousands of years until a new organic civilization builds itself to their apex. By retreating beyond the edges of the galaxy, they ensure that no one will accidentally discover them until the Citadel relay is opened once more."**

"And with the galactic government all centered in one place, they can wipe out the most powerful leaders in the Traverse in a single surprise attack!" said Jane fully understanding what Vigil was saying.

 **"That was our fate."** said Vigil. **"Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel, and through it the mass relays. Communication and transportation across our empire was crippled. Each star system was isolated, cut off from the others. Easy pray for the Reaper fleet."**

"The perfect divide and conquer strategy." Liara said shaking her head in horror.

 **"Over the next decades, the Reapers systematically obliterated our people."** Vigil continued. **"World by world. System by system, they methodically wiped us out. They had but a single goal: the extinction of all advanced organic life."**

"And by gaining control of the Citadel, they used the archives to know everything and anything about your people; using it against you." surmised Jason.

 **"Yes. And within a few centuries the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal and absolutely thorough."** said the VI

"Why would they do this? What do the Reapers gain from doing the same cycle of genocide again and again?" asked Jane.

 **"The Reapers are alien, unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves or resources. More likely, they are driven by motives and goals organic beings cannot hope to comprehend."** replied Vigil.

Jason clenched his fists, 'If they only knew...if only I could tell them everything...I fucking hate this!' he raged in his mind.

"How do we stop them?" he asked out loud.

 **"The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind mass relay technology. Ilos was a top secret facility. Here, researchers worked to create a small-scale version of a mass relay. One that linked directly to the Citadel, the hub of the relay network."** said Vigil.

"The Conduit isn't a weapon. It's a back door into the Citadel!" exclaimed Liara.

 **"When the Reapers retreated back to dark space through the Citadel relay, some of our best scientific minds had managed to keep themselves hidden here at Ilos. When the extinction of our people was inevitable, they vowed to find some way to stop the Reapers from returning. A way to break the cycle forever. And they knew the Keepers were the key."** the VI explained.

 **"The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal is sent through the station compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel and made the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the Keepers ignored it. The Reapers are trapped in dark space."**

"That's why Saren needs the Conduit." said Jason. "He'll be able to gain access to the Citadel and undo everything the last Protheans did."

 **"He will most likely transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Once in control, it will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the relay. The cycle of extinction will begin again."** concluded Vigil.

"Is there a way to stop this from happening?" asked Jane wanting to find the Conduit now more than ever.

 **"There is a data file in my console. Take a copy when you go. When you reach the Citadel's master control unit, upload it to the station. It will corrupt the station's security protocols and give you temporary control over the Citadel. It might give you a chance against Sovereign."** said the program.

Jason walked around the projection, omni-tool flared as he went over to the terminal. "SECOND, copy the data and have it secured as mission critical." he ordered.

 **"Connection Established. Copying Mission Critical Data."**

 **"Hybrid, there is something else."** said Vigil.

Jason turned to the projection. 'Hybrid' had definitely been a name he hadn't been called before. "Yes?" he asked.

 **"I have scanned your suit thoroughly since your arrival. It is a powerful piece of technology. And it's adaptability is invaluable. There may be a way I can improve on this to help you on your mission."** said the VI.

"Improve? How?" asked the nano soldier a little interested. Green sparks started to come off of the terminal making him take a step back. Three bolts of green electricity shot out of the console and pierced the chest of the nano suit.

Jason froze as the current went through both the suit and his body. **"Unknown Energy Surge Detected. Nano Suit Systems Re-configuring."** Alerted SECOND as the Post-Human's body surge with energy.

Jane and Liara took a couple steps back as the power output became so bright they had to shield their eyes from it as the energy began coiling around the nano soldier's form.

His HUD went haywire as it glowed bright green around the edges from the energy flowing through the suit. Jason felt something changing. The suit, his body, his mind, he could feel everything changing. Altering. Adapting.

After a few moments the energy began to die down, the terminal darkened and shut down as the green energy continued to crackle along Jason's form. **"Adaptation of Unknown Energy...Complete. System Rebooting."**

 **"I have given you something to help aid you against Sovereign and the other Reapers. Use it well..."** said Vigil as its projection faded before their eyes.

Jason looked as his hands as the energy finally died down. Everything looked the same. But at the same time felt different. He didn't know what changed, but whatever it was he had a feeling that it was a good thing.

"Jason are you okay? What happened?" asked Jane a little worried.

Looking up at her, all he could do was shrug. "I'm not sure exactly...Nothing seems to be wrong with the nano suit's systems. But something feels different." he shook his head. "It doesn't matter right now. We got the data. Now let's get going, Saren's got a big enough lead as it is."

Casting him another concerned glance, Jane nodded before leading them to the lift that would take them back to the Mako and the rest of the team.

Along the way, a small bolt of green electricity arced along Jason's back before fading back into the suit.

 **X**

 **A/N: The final mission has begun. And with a couple parting gifts from Vigil, the team just might succeed.**

 **Next update coming soon!**


	44. Chapter 43

**Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Bunker Access - Ilos**

 **August 21, 2183 - 22:21 hours**

The Mako roared at top speed down the bunker's tunnel network. Jane had the accelerator floored as they made their way toward where the Conduit entrance was located.

After filling in the rest of the team about what they encountered with Vigil. Everyone was more anxious to put Saren down for good. The idea of the Citadel being a giant mass relay had left them in a state of shock and awe. But knowing what was at steak had them ready for anything.

Jason sat in the turret seat, scanning for hostiles while he had SECOND scan through all of the nano suit's systems to make sure whatever the Prothean VI did to it wouldn't have any drawbacks.

But each time the scans came back inconclusive. This didn't make sense. The surge of energy he felt was indescribable, and SECOND had picked it up as the suit seemed to absorb it and then adapt it to the systems. What had changed?

 **"Hostiles Detected."** said SECOND as Jason swung the cannon around and blew away a ground of Geth Shock Troopers as they blew past. "Jane, no matter what don't stop!" he said targeting another group of Geth and blowing them apart.

"Wasn't intending to." replied the Commander as she kept the gas pedal firmly on the floor. Pushing the rover to it's limits as they fishtailed around turns and curves in the tunnel network.

They barely missed several shots fired at them from an Armature that was off to the side. A second stood in the center of the path, but Jane just kept going as it slammed into the front of the Mako before going under it as they kept going.

"We're taking some bad damage. Barriers down to 53%" said Garrus going over the readings.

"SECOND, reroute all non-essential power to the shields." said Jason as the AI hacked into the Mako's system. **"Power Rerouting..."**

Garrus' eyes widened when he was the rover's barriers shoot up to nearly 200% while everything but the engine and guns shut down. "How the hell will we know where we're going?" asked the Turian as the navigation system went down.

"Easy, follow the path ahead." said Jane as they turned another corner. Avoiding incoming enemy fire while Jason shot down what he could.

They spun around another corner only to nearly run right into a Colossus that had been waiting for them. Jane slammed on the breaks and hit the reverse just in time to avoid a blast from its main gun. "No time to fight, we have to go now!" she shouted gunning the accelerator again.

"Everyone hang on to something!" Garrus yelled into the troop compartment. Everyone locked in their harnesses and grabbed emergency handles as the Commander slammed the Mako into one of the large Geth's legs.

The synthetic toppled over on to the ground, but not before getting a shot off that struck the top of the rover dead on.

"Shields have been cut down to 133%! We can't take too many hits like that!" said Garrus as they went around the crippled Colossus. After blowing through several more roadblocks that was in their way. The squad found themselves on top of a large incline that lead down to a wide space where a small mass relay stuck up out of the ground like an odd statue.

"That must be the Conduit! It's incredible!" said Liara as they all saw it.

Jane squeezed the steering wheel. "Alright...here we go."

X

Unknown to the team. Geth fleet came out of the mass relay close to the Citadel. Sovereign right behind them as they began to make their way toward the station. They launched a powerful salvo of rounds that tore through multiple ships in the Citadel Fleet before allied species returned fire.

The Commander of the Destiny Ascension staggered as the ship took a hit before getting on the comms. "Activate the defenses! Seal the station!"

"The arms aren't moving! Systems not responding!" said the navigator.

The Commander narrowed her gaze, "Abandon the Citadel! Evacuate the Council!" she ordered.

The navigator got on the radio immediately, "Citadel control! Citadel control! Do you copy?"

Inside the Citadel tower, Saren looked down at the dead Asari who were in charge of running the control center. Turning toward the door, he left to find his main objective with a squad of Geth following behind.

X

The Mako flew down the incline, drawing closer and closer to the Conduit as the team prepared themselves. "Shepard we have to go faster! The Conduit looks like it's going to close!" said Garrus as they rocketed down the slope.

"I'm giving her all shes got!" said Jane with her foot and the accelerator on the floor.

Jason was hit with an idea as he spun the cannon around until it was facing behind them, he fired again and again, each shot causing the rover to lurch forward a little faster. "What the are you doing?" asked Liara from the troop compartment.

"Giving us momentum!" shouted Jason over the sounds of the gun firing.

They reached the base of the incline and surged toward the small relay. Five Geth Colossus' were waiting for them and fired the moment they came into range. Jane swerved left and right to avoid the large blasts, one hitting the side of the Mako and dropping the barriers down to 81%.

Jason kept shooting the cannon behind them to keep up their speed while Jane continued to dodge the blasts fired at them. They reached the ramp in front of the Conduit and shot forward.

The Mako was grabbed by the relay's mass energy. In another second, the vehicle was launched into the sky at high velocity just as the Conduit shut down behind them.

X

Inside the Citadel, fires raged across multiple sectors. The invading Geth had caught everyone by surprise when they suddenly appeared out of what people thought was just a monument.

The death toll was already high, and nothing seemed to be stopping it anytime soon.

Standing around the 'relay monument', several Geth stood guard as they waited for a target to appear.

The large device suddenly kicked on catching the Geths attention. The device glowed bright for a moment, the rings in its center spinning faster and faster as the synthetics approached with weapons ready.

There was a bright flash and a charred and damaged Mako flew out of it. Crushing the Geth as it landed before it flipped over onto its roof and crashed against the far wall at the base of the Citadel tower.

The rover was still, two wheels continued to spin before the hatch on the back was kicked open by a large red foot.

Wrex hopped out, Claymore ready for an attack as the rest of the crew slowly crawled out, disoriented from the crash and a little banged up. But alive. They all got a good look around them, "Dammit, look at all of this." said Garrus seeing all the damage.

"Its going to get worse if we don't stop Sovereign." said Liara.

Jane and Jason glanced around before they walked over to the hallway closest to them, but stopped as two Dragon's Teeth lowered two Husks to the ground.

The Commander pulled out her pistol and shot them both in the head before they could get in close, "Lets get moving. We don't have much time." She said as they all headed into the elevator and began to ride it up the tower.

X

Within the Council chambers, Saren stalked through the battle ravaged atrium with a sneer on his face. Pulling out his pistol and shooting two Keepers dead as he walked toward the plaform ahead.

The platform suddenly shifted, opening itself wider as a large holo-panel appeared before him. He touched a few keys and displays of the station appeared before him.

Outside the Citadel, the fleet continued to try and hold off the Geth forces just as the station's arms began to close. "The Citadel's closing! They're sealing the station!" shouted Executor Pallin over the radio.

Sovereign sped toward the closing station, a group of Turian ships quickly formed up to block the Reaper. "Don't let the enemy ships inside the arms!" ordered the Executor as the ships opened fire.

The Reaper didn't acknowledge the rounds fired as they bounced off of its powerful barriers. It barreled its way through the lines of ships and destroyed several in the process as it slipped into the Citadel's arms just as they closed.

Sovereign drifted through the open space toward the Citadel tower. Opening its massive appendages and latching onto the tower as it began to assume control of the station.

X

The elevator the team was on came to a an abrupt halt. "Shit, Saren's locked the elevator! Suit up, we're going out!" said Jason. Everyone sealed their suits for the vacuum outside the tower.

Jason pulled out his Hammer pistol and shot the window. Glass floated in the zero gravity outside as the nano soldier stepped off the elevator, **"Magnetic Boots Enabled."**

Sticking to the wall of the tower, Jason drew his assault rifle as Jane came down next to him followed by the rest of the team. The two Spectres nodding to one another before they began to make their way up the tower on foot with the others following with their weapons out.

Looking up to the top of the tower. Jason watched as one of Sovereign's tentacles slammed against the tower making it shake under their feet. _"We're gonna kill you, you bastard."_ he thought hatefully

A window in front of them shattered and Geth Troopers started pouring out in front of them. The team opened fire taking the synthetics out quickly before moving forward...or in this, case up.

A Geth Rocket Trooper came out on their left, Wrex grabbed it and slammed it into the side of the wall crushing its head and causing white fluid and chunks of debris to float out around them.

Liara launched a singularity, sending several Troopers airborne within the gravity-well and allowing the team to gun them down. Garrus smashed another Trooper in the face with the butt of his sniper rifle and shattering its optic before looking down the sights and blowing the head off another.

Tali blasted a Stalker in half with her shotgun while Jason grabbed a Shock Trooper by the neck and throwing it with all his strength against a nearby wall.

Jane whipped out her knife and rammed it up through the base of the head of a Rocket Trooper before using it as a shield to take down another that had been standing behind it. "Taking my moves, darlin?" asked Jason as he peppered a Trooper with rounds from his rifle.

"You rubbed off on me in some ways." she replied as they kept pushing forward.

They went up a ramp and two Krogan came charging at them with weapons drawn. "Weaklings!" Wrex roared as he charged forward and slamming into them.

He smashed his fist into the face of one, crushing its helmet causing it to suffocate from the lack of oxygen. Wrex yanked the shotgun out of the hands of the dying Krogan and pressed the barrel to the head of the other while it was dazed. "You are not a true Krogan." he growled squeezing the trigger, blowing the Krogan's brains out of its head.

Past that, the team encountered a blockade that had several energy shields set up with a squad of Shock Troopers waiting.

Jason pulled out his sniper rifle and picked the synthetics off one at a time allowing the others to move up. They reached the top of the ramp and went into cover as several sniper rounds zipped past them. A Geth Destroyer began to make its way toward them as the two snipers sat on top of a nearby ridge waiting for an opening.

"Garrus, with me. Take out the snipers." Jason ordered as they both waited for their shot. The rest of the team focused fire on the Destroyer.

The moment the two snipers poked up to take a shot both their optics were blown out from two sniper shots. "Scoped and dropped." said Garrus pulling the bolt back on his rifle. When the Destroyer fell they started moving again. Pushing their way through any resistance that stood in their way.

After taking down another squad, they entered a large opening when a Geth dropship came down and started dropping troops on to the tower. "Tali, Jason, get the tower defenses running! We'll cover you!" shouted Jane as she and the others took cover and opened fire on the hostiles.

Tali ran to the first gun and began hacking it. Jason fired up his omni-tool and hacked the next one **"Connection Established."**. When they came online, rockets flew out of the guns striking the dropship causing significant damage.

Jason moved to the next gun and hacked it as well as small purple and blue fires started to break out along the Geth ship's hull. It continued to drop additional troops, but they were cut down before they even had a chance to unfold themselves.

One final salvo of rockets caused the ship to sputter. It veered off to the right and drifted away from the tower before exploding in a bright fireball.

Liara launched a throw attack that sent the last of the stragglers flying off of the tower allowing them to move forward.

The resistance persisted from there. Several more Krogan and powerful Geth units came at them as they continued to work their way to the top of the tower. The squad eventually found themselves in a large expanse of tower that had three Geth turrets set up that locked on to them the moment they got close.

They dove into alcoves for cover as rockets rained down around them along with a hail of pulse rifle fire. Jason poked his head up and tagged everything of importance on his HUD before dropping back down. "I can hack a couple turrets, that should give us a big enough distraction to deal with the mobile platforms." he said to Jane as she dropped back down to vent her rifle.

"Sounds good, try to keep your head down." she said with a nod.

Jason returned the nod before standing up. **"Maximum Armor."** rounds peppered his torso as he bolted out of cover and toward the first turret. His energy meter dropped to half by the time he had the thing hacked and it started firing on the Geth around it.

The nano soldier ran over to the next turret and hacked that one as well, forcing it to turn around and destroy the remaining turret before focusing on the remaining Geth.

One Trooper got close, but Jason whipped out his Hammer and shot it through the optic before it got within striking distance as the team began to move again. Moping up the last of the Geth as they now stood directly underneath Sovereign. "There has to be a way to get inside." said Tali as they walked down another access ramp.

"The tower's littered with ducts and venting systems. Any of them will lead us to where we need to go." said Garrus.

Jason and Jane approached a hatch at the end of the access way and motioned the others over. "This is our ticket in." said Jane pulling the hatch open.

"I'll go in first. I'll radio in if it's clear." he said taking out his pistol again. **"Cloak Engaged."** he vanished before leaping into the hatch. Moving his way slowly and as quietly as possible through the shaft. The nano soldier found himself dropping down into a room just outside the atrium leading to the Council chambers.

"I'm in. It's all clear so far." he radioed in while scanning the atrium and tagging four Geth Troopers that were waiting for them on the next level ahead.

The rest of the team quickly joined him, weapons still in hand as they made their way through the burning atrium. "The seat of government, reduced to this." said Liara shaking their head.

"It'll be much worse if Sovereign gains complete control." said Jane as they headed up the stairs. Taking down the four Geth standing guard around the room before charging forward toward the Council chambers.

Reaching the top, they saw Saren standing at the Citadel's controls. Jason opened fire with his pistol as the Turian lept from the platform and on to his hovering device. He primed a grenade and tossed it at them, forcing them all to separate as the the explosive went off.

"I was afraid you two wouldn't make it in time." Saren said smirking.

"In time for what?" asked Jane from her cover. Jason right next to her drawing his assault rifle.

"The final confrontation. I think we all expected it would end like this." replied Saren. "You've lost. You know that, don't you? In a few minutes, Sovereign will have full control of all the Citadel's systems. The relay will open. The Reapers will return."

"How about I tear both your fucking arms off this time?" said Jason gripping his rifle.

"You and may have survived our encounter on Virmire, Maverick. But I've changed since then. Improved. Sovereign has...upgraded me." said the rogue Spectre with something akin to pure elation in his voice

"You let that thing implant you? Are you insane?" asked Jane horrified.

"I suppose I should thank you all. After Virmire, I realized that I may not be strong enough to take on the both of you. This coupled with my fears of indoctrination plagued my every thought, the doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. I was implanted to strengthen my resolve." explained Saren. "Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. I understand that the Reapers need organics. Join us and Sovereign will find a place for you both as well."

"My answer hasn't changed, split-lip! You're just letting that thing run wild inside your head because your too damn weak to think for yourself anymore!" Jason called out.

"The relationship is symbiotic, Maverick." Saren started. "Organic and machine intertwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. Why do you continue to fight what you are? Your just like us! So much more than the rest of your pathetic race."

Jason let out a breath, "Because at my heart, I am still a Human. No matter what get's put into me that will never change! You gave up what made you who you are because you let your mind fall victim to Sovereign, your nothing like the man you were before!"

The statement seemed to make Saren pause. The glow in his eyes dimmed slightly before he held the side of his head in pain.

"Sovereign hasn't won yet, Saren. We can stop it from taking control of the station! Step aside and the invasion will never happen!" Jane called out.

"We can't stop it!" Saren barked out "Not forever. You saw the visions. You saw what happened to the Protheans. The Reapers are too powerful."

"Maybe they are! But we have the power to postpone the invasion! We can do what the Protheans were unable to do!" Jason stood up with his rifle trained on the Turian. "There is a chance that will give us valuable time! Now stand aside! I won't let you walk away alive this time if you don't."

Saren looked like he was starting to struggle, "Is there...truly a way to stop this. A chance for...unh!" he screamed and clutched his head. "The implants...Sovereign is too strong...I can fight it!"

Jane rolled to her feet next to Jason, "It's not over yet! You can still redeem yourself!" she said to the ex-Spectre.

Saren gave them all a sorrowful look. "...I...I'm...Sorry..." he struggled against himself as he pressed his pistol under his chin, "S-Stop this...". Blue blood blew out the back of his head when he pulled the trigger, the former Spectre falling off his platform through the glass floor and slammed into ground below.

Watching Saren fall to the ground, Jason ran toward the holo-panel and brought up his omni-tool and the data files they had acquired to gain control of the station from Vigil. The rest of the team gathered around as the files started to take effect. **"Data File Transfer Complete. Connection Established."**

"I've got control of the Citadel's systems." said Jason looking back at all of them.

"Open the stations arms. Maybe the fleet can take Sovereign down before he regains control of the station." said Garrus.

"See if you can open a communication channel as well." said Jane added.

Jason pushed a few keys on his omni-tool and a transmission came through, _'...the Destiny Ascension. Main drives offline, kinetic barriers down to 40%. The council is on board. I repeat, the council is on board.'_ spoke a navigator.

 _'_ Normandy _to the Citadel._ Normandy _to the Citadel. Please tell me that's you guys out there.'_ said Joker.

"We're here Joker." said Jason as Jane stood next to him.

 _'We caught that distress call. I'm sitting here in the Andura sector with the entire Arcturus fleet. We can save the Ascension. Just unlock the relays around the Citadel and we'll send the cavalry in!'_ said the pilot.

"Are you really willing to sacrifice human lives to save the Council after all the shit they pulled?" asked Wrex crossing his arms.

"This is bigger than humanity. Sovereign's a threat to every organic species in the galaxy. Letting them die would cause mass panic." reasoned Liara.

"The council must be sacrificed for the greater good. Don't waste your reinforcements. Hold them back until the Citadel arms open up. Save the Human fleet to attack Sovereign." said Garrus.

' _What's the order Commander, Maverick? Come in now to save the Ascension, or hold back?'_ asked Joker.

Jane looked at Jason, the nano soldier looked right back. "Honestly, after all of the 'help' they've given us I couldn't really care less what happens to them." said Jason bitterly.

"We can't just let them die Jason, or the hundreds of others on board, we're better than that." said Jane putting a hand on his arm. "I'm just as pissed at them as you are, but that doesn't give us the right to be executioners." she reasoned.

Jason sighed heavily, as much as he wanted to leave the nearsighted Councilors to their fate because of their stupidity, he knew Jane was right. And hopefully they would wise the hell up before things got a lot worse. "Joker, I'm opening the relays. Get in here and kick some ass!" he said punching in the sequence.

X

Outside the Citadel, the _Normandy_ came out of mass relay with the Arcturus fleet right behind it. _"Alliance ships move in! We need to save the Destiny Ascension!"_ ordered Admiral Hackett as they converged on the attacking Geth fleet.

On the Ascension, and Asari at the controls looked surprised, "Commander, we're picking up reinforcements!"

The Commander looked at the readouts in relief, "It's the Alliance! Thank the Goddess!"

The fleet opened fire on the Geth ships, the rounds blowing the vessels to pieces. The Geth returned fire taking out a couple of human ships, but the synthetics were out gunned and outmatched by the Alliance's firepower.

 _"Destiny Ascension, you are all clear. Repeat, you are all clear."'_ said Joker as the fleet headed toward the Citadel and leaving the Geth fleet in ruins.

The stations arms began to open slowly, revealing Sovereign still attached to the tower. _"The Citadel is opening! All ships move in! Concentrate on Sovereign!"_ ordered Hackett as the fleet entered the Citadel. Getting the Reaper in their sights, they began the assault.

X

Shutting down his omni-tool, Jason walked to the edge of the platform and looked down where Saren's body lay. Clenching a fist, he hopped down to the lower level. Bending his knees and using a hand to stabilize himself on the landing. "Jason, what are you doing?" Garrus called down.

"Making sure this bastard stays dead." he called back taking out three explosive arrows and approaching the body of the dead Turian.

The whole tower suddenly started to tremble, Jason started moving a little quicker as red energy started to crackle through the room. Red bolts converging on the body while everyone tried to hold themselves up as the shaking got worse.

Saren's corpse began to glow as the energy reached critical levels. **"Maximum Armor."** Jason braced himself as the energy burst out in all directions. The platform above collapsed causing the whole squad to fall to the lower level.

Jason helped Jane to her feet as Saren's body stood upright. Glowing bright red like the fires of hell as the flesh burned away revealing the cybernetic endoskeleton underneath.

The squad stared in horror at the skeletal abomination that stood before them. Eyes and chest glowing with dark-red energy as it seemed to leer at them in fury. Jason glared back through his visor, drawing his bow and knocking one of the explosive arrows he had been holding as they all prepared to fight.

The Husk crouched down like a wild animal ready to attack, **"I AM SOVEREIGN. AND THIS STATION IS MINE!"**

 **X**

 **A/N: And so begins the final battle for the fate of the universe. Or at least one of several in the ear future.**


	45. Chapter 44

**Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Council Chambers - Citadel**

 **August 22, 2183 - 23:11 hours**

The squad all stood with their weapons aimed at the creature before them that was once Saren. The cybernetic skeleton glowed various purples and blues along its structure except for the ribcage and eyes that glowed dark-red from the Reaper's power.

Giving a loud, mechanical shriek, the Husk crouched and lept at the team with speed that surprised them.

Jason let the explosive arrow he had ready fly, the creature twisted to the side as the projectile flew right past it. Missing by only centimeters before hitting the far wall.

The creature landing on all fours before leaping up on to one of the walls of the chamber and scuttle out of sight. "What the hell is that?" shouted Garrus scanning the walls with his assault rifle trying to locate the abomination.

"I think Sovereign's controlling the cybernetic part of Saren's body. Kind of like the Husks we saw before." said Jane as the creature crawled along the wall and they all opened fire on it.

The red glowing Husk flung itself at them, everyone dove aside as it landed on the ground with a large impact and it started crawled across the ground like a spider. The team continued to shoot at it, but each round just barely missed the mark or bounced off of a red kinetic barrier that was around it.

Wrex charged it with his shotgun blasting. The Husk threw itself at the Krogan, flipping through the air and latching onto his hump. Claws racking across his armor and leaving deep gouges in the hardened material. "Get this thing off of me!" The Warlord roared trying to shake it off.

"Wrex hold still!" shouted Jason cocking his fist back. **"Maximum Power."** His fist connected hard with the creature's face sending it flying off of Wrex and crashing into the pillar behind them. The Husk flipped upright on the ground and started to crawl around again.

Liara fired singularity after singularity in an attempt to try and slow it down, but each biotic attack barely hindered it. Tali fired a barrage of tech attacks of various natures, the Husk's kinetic barriers sparked slightly when an overload struck it hard.

Jane and Garrus capitalized from Tali's attack and sprayed the creature with a hail of gunfire from their assault rifles. The rounds peppering the metal skeleton and causing a bit of damage as it scrambled back to get away from the assault.

It lept up and latched on to a wall again as red energy began to charge to its mouth. "Everyone get down!" shouted Jane. They got into cover just as a volley of energy blasts spewed from the Husk's mouth toward them. Raining down all over the area scorching the walls and floor on contact.

Jason stood and sprayed rounds everywhere with his assault rifle. The creature turned its head in his direction and launched a concentrated blast his way. **"Maximum Armor."** The blast connected with his chest sending the nano soldier into the wall.

Dazed, he picked up his dropped rifle and vented it. Jane lept over the fallen pillar next to him and pressed her back to it for cover. "This could be trouble." she said as she drew her shotgun and prepared for another attempt.

He couldn't help but agree as they attacked together.

X

Outside the tower, the Alliance fleet opened fire with everything they had on Sovereign. Hitting the Reaper with all they could throw at it.

The Reaper didn't seem to acknowledge the heavy rounds as they detonated off of its powerful barriers. Slowly, it lifted one of its tentacles and fired a bright red beam of energy that sheared through a nearby dreadnought and causing it to explode.

Sovereign opened the rest of its appendages and started tearing apart the other ships. Many attempted to back away from the deadly weapons only to fall to the same fate.

The _Normandy_ flew by the wreckage of a nearby ship and just barely missing a beam fired from the Reaper. _"Sovereign's too strong! We have to pull back!"_ shouted a commander from a nearby cruiser.

 _"Negative! This is our only chance! Take that monster down, no matter what the cost!"_ ordered Hackett as the fleet kept the pressure on.

X

Garrus swung his sniper rifle around and fired a round straight at the Reaper infused Husk. The creature jumped out of the way before going after the Turian, its razor sharp claws slicing the weapon in half before knocking him hard into the wall.

Spinning around, the Husk fired another barrage of energy blasts that forced the team into cover. Jane peered around and saw that Garrus was slumped on the ground unmoving from the attack. "Shit! Garrus is down, we need to take this thing down and fast!" she said standing and spraying bullets all over.

Jason drew his Hammer pistol and emptied the clip in moments. "It's gotta have a weakness!" he said reloading and emptying the clip again.

The creature crawled along the walls of the chamber, leaping at the team shrieking like a banshee as they threw everything they had at it.

Landing on the floor, Wrex fired several shotgun blasts into the synthetic only for it to fire a blast right into his chest. Scorching his armor and sending the Warlord skidding across the ground.

Tali threw another overload to take out its barriers and was successful, but she couldn't stop it from lashing out with a long metal arm and knocking her aside.

 **"Maximum Power."** Jason lept into the air and slammed his fist down onto the Husk's spine. The creature shuttered from the attack, its head and neck craning in his direction as a large volt of red electricity shot from its mouth and struck him in the chest.

His HUD went crazy as his body began to convulse. **"IF YOU WILL NOT SERVE US. YOU WILL BE DESTROYED."** Sovereign bellowed as the power increased in intensity.

Jane kept the trigger of her rifle clenched until the weapon over heated. She then grabbed it by the stock and smashed it against the Husk in attempt to get it to release the nano soldier. A pulse of red energy shot from the synthetic sending the remaining squad mates flying back.

Jason tried to fight against the attack, but the energy was too powerful. **"Warning: Energy Depleted. Multiple Systems Overloading."** warned SECOND as the red power arced over his form.

 _'I have to do something! Anything dammit!'_ through his struggles, Jason clenched his fists as he fought harder against the attack.

That's when he felt it. The same feeling he got from that energy output that went through him back on Ilos. The same thing that Vigil gave to him before it shut down completely. **"Adapted Xeno Energy Source Detected. Initializing..."**

A bolt of green energy arced across his right arm, a second followed along on the left. In moments green energy danced along the surface of the nano suit and began to fight against the red energy invading it.

 **"Energy Levels at Maximum Capacity. Energy Levels Increasing Beyond Normal Parameters."** Jason's HUD glowed green around the edges as his energy meter went off the charts. A green bolt shot out of his body and pushed against the red energy being controlled by the Husk.

The team watched wide eyed as the green bolt fought against the red one. The struggle of power was so bright they had to shield their eyes from it.

Focusing on this newfound energy, Jason dug down deeper and forced as much of it as he could to the surface. The bolt coming from him overpowered the Reaper-energy and struck the creature, causing it to shriek and scurry back out of range.

Jason landed back on his feet and stood straight, green power dancing all over him as he glared at the Husk. "This ain't over." he growled taking out his bow and going on the offensive.

Leaping back on to the walls, the Husk charged for another attack. But Jason was already on top of it. Firing a eezo arrow that struck it dead on and disrupted its concentration.

An explosive arrow followed, knocking it off of the wall as the nano soldier slid across the ground and delivering a thundering kick to the creature's chest and throwing it into the wall.

The Husk got back to its feet and lept at the Post-Human with claws ready to tear him apart. It was then a grenade flew in its path and exploded, causing it to go off course and crash to the ground. "You forget us?" said Jane leveling her assault rifle with the rest of the team standing with her weapons and powers ready.

Crawling back a few steps, the creature opened its mouth and fired a large beam at them.

Jason ran in front of the others, the green energy from before still charging his nano suit as the attack hit. Only this time he pushed it back with equal ferocity. "It's over Sovereign! Your genocide ends here!" he shouted as he focused on pushing more of the strange energy into the beam.

The Husk struggled, but met the nano soldier in a stalemate. **"THE CYCLE CANNOT BE STOPPED. YOU WILL MERELY DELAY THE INEVITABLE. ORGANIC LIFE AS YOU KNOW IT WILL COME TO AN END."**

The power gathering around the creature grew exponentially until it all exploded out around the room.

Unprepared for such an event, the squad was thrown about the chamber like rag dolls. Some hitting walls and pillars in their flight before coming to rest on the floor.

Jason groaned as he slowly got up. The energy around him dying slowly and his suit returning to normal from the super charge. Jane laid next to him unconscious as the rest of their team laid all over the place in the same state.

The nano soldier stood on shaking legs as SECOND spoke in his ear;

 **"Suit Integrity: 39%"**

 **"Energy Depleted."**

 **"Armor and Cloaking Abilities Temporarily Offline."**

 **"Repairs in Progress..."**

He was tackled by a solid form. The Husk crouched over him before slashing viciously with its sharp claws, leaving deep grooves and cuts in the nano suit's surface.

 **"Suit Integrity: 30%. Maximum Power."** Jason raised his foot and kicked the creature hard sending it away and allowing him to get back to his feet. He reached for his weapons and found that his weapons had been fried in the energy burst, his bow laid on the other side of the chamber and his pistol low on ammo.

Bringing out his omni-tool on one arm and drawing his knife with the other. the nano soldier readied himself as the Husk gave a loud shriek before coming at him again.

X

Jane slowly opened her eyes. The smell of various things burning and the sounds of combat bringing her back to reality as she tried to assess what had happened.

Ignoring the pain in her head and chest, she pushed herself to her hands and knees before sitting upright. Wrex and Liara were in a similar state, but Tali and Garrus were still out cold. Checking her weapons, she found that the inner workings had been completely fried from whatever the creature did moments ago.

A loud crash made her head shoot up.

Jason was locked in hand to hand combat with the Reaper controlled Husk. Ducking and dodging around swipes and energy blasts as he tried to get some form of leverage over the thing.

He managed to catch the creature's arm and throw it over his shoulder. But the thing just twisted in the air at the last minute and righted itself before landing back on the ground and running back at him.

Wrex roared and charged into the fray. Ramming his bulk into the Husk and slamming it to the wall.

But the creature possessed a strange amount of strength as it fought back. Holding the Krogan a moment before slashing him across the chest and throwing him into Jason sending both crashing to the floor.

Jason got back to his feet and fired a cluster overload that hit its target. Completely frying the Husk's shields and giving him the distraction to run in and stab the blade of his hardened knife into it's ribcage.

The energy within the synthetic pulsed and the knife was sent flying away, burying itself into the nearby wall as a sharp clawed hand grabbed the nano soldier by the throat and began to crush it. **"YOUR DEATH, WILL THE FIRST OF MANY, HYBRID."** the Reaper bellowed.

Jane began to panic, looking around for something, anything she could use as a weapon...then she saw it.

A few feet away laid Jason's bow, the quiver of arrows nearby. She quickly scrambled toward them. Most of the arrows had been damaged or destroyed completely. But one remained in tact as she picked it up along with the bow.

Knocking the arrow, she held the weapon up and slowly drew the string back. Recalling the time Jason had shown her how to use it;

X _Flashback:_ X

 _"How can this thing really be that effective? It's a little old for common warfare." said Jane as she and Jason stood in the_ Normandy's _shooting range. The nano soldier holding his bow out to her with a raised eyebrow after hearing her statement._

 _"That's were your wrong. You see, even the old classics can be retro-fitted in with current styles. Not only that, but they can prove to be a huge asset as well." he said calmly._

 _"How so?" asked the Commander._

 _"Consider this. All kinetic barriers were designed to stop mass accelerated rounds, yes?" he asked receiving a nod. "Well, in most cases a barrier stops the round because of its velocity. Which is pretty damn fast with the mass accelerator drives in each weapon."_

 _He held up the bow, "My bow doesn't use mass accelerator technology. The arrows travel fast with each shot, but lack the same velocity as a regular round fired from a gun. This low velocity makes it so that most barriers won't be able to detect it until after it's already hit the target. Basically, it can penetrate most barriers like they weren't there."_

 _Jane was surprised. She never expected such a primitive weapon to have such an advantage in a firefight. "Mind if I give it a shot?"_

 _Jason smirked before handing the weapon over along with a regular arrow. "Need a tutorial?"_

 _The Commander shook her head as she stood at the line. "I've seen you use it, how hard can it be?" she knocked the arrow and drew the string back. But the sudden pull at the end made her lose focus and she let it go._

 _The arrow was released and hit the floor half-way down range and bounced a few times before coming to a stop._

 _For his part, Jason fought not to laugh at the honest beginner's mistake._

 _Drawing another arrow, Jane focused a little harder as she drew it back. A moment later she let it go, sailing through the air and burrowing into a crate that was behind the target and a foot to the right. "Dammit..." she cursed._

 _"Here." said the nano soldier taking another arrow and standing behind her. "You have to control your breathing with this a lot more than you do with a sniper rifle. Even the slightest shift will cause an issue."_

 _Reaching around her and holding her hands as he helped her knock the new arrow. Jane found herself blushing at how close they were as he helped control her movements._

 _"Deep, slow breaths." he said in her ear as he helped her draw the string back smoothly. "Now, just before you let the shot go, hold your breath to steady your aim. But make sure you have your target lined up before you do." he coached while releasing her hands._

 _Jane followed his instructions as she looked down the sights on the bow, lining up the target down range as she held her breath and steadied herself. She then let it go._

 _The arrow whistled through the air before connecting with the target dead center._

 _"Alright!" exclaimed Jason clapping at the perfect shot. Jane beamed with pride, it felt like she was back in basic and hitting high marks on the shooting range all over again._

 _"Think I can get a little more practice in?" she asked looking over her shoulder at him._

 _"Can't see why not. Who knows, maybe you can out shoot me with this thing some day." said the Post-Human with a chuckle._

 _Jane raised an eyebrow, "You trying to over-flatter me, Jason?" she asked putting her hand on her hip with the other still holding the bow._

 _Jason made the perfect innocent face, "Would I do that?"_

 _Rolling her eyes, the Commander took another arrow and knocked it. "Just watch, Harlow. I'll put you to shame with this someday." she said letting the shot go._

X _Flashback End_ X

Jane took a few small deep breaths. Drowning out everything around her as she lined up her target. Holding her breath for that last moment, she prayed to every deity in existence that she would not miss.

She let the arrow fly.

X

Jason struggled in the Husk's grasp as his airways were blocked off. His vision swam black as he tried to think of a way out of this. **"Warning! Vital Signs Dropping!"** alerted SECOND as things got harder to focus.

Suddenly there was a small flash in his peripheral vision. The creature's head snapped to the side before it let out a blood curdling screech of pain. A lone arrow sticking out of its left eye socket as it dropped Jason to the ground.

Now free, Jason got his second wind quickly before taking out his omni-tool. "Time for something new." the device glowed a moment before it started to shift and change shape. A foot long blade the same color as the omni-tool itself sprang to life out of the device as the nano soldier stood ready.

 **"Omni-Blade Online."** The Post-Human gave a battle cry as he charged forward. Driving the hard-energy blade into the Husk's chest while it was distracted.

"Go to Hell Motherfucker!"Jason shouted as he charged the nano suit's energy into the blade and forced it in deeper until it burst out of the creature's back. The Husk's shrieks came to an abrupt halt before Jason pulled the blade free and let the now lifeless skeleton fall to the ground.

The same red energy that had gave it life slowly began to eat away at the cybernetic components until nothing but a pile of ashes remained.

Deactivating the omni-blade. Jason took a long, deep breath before looking to his right to see Jane standing on the other side of the chamber, his bow in her hand with a relieved smile on her face. "Nice shot, darlin." he said making her smile widen.

The rest of the team slow began to come around and got to their feet despite their injuries. But before anything could be said the whole tower began to shake again. "Uh oh...what now?" asked Liara fearful.

Jason's eyes widened, "We should be getting out of here..."

X

Back outside, Sovereign suddenly stopped its attacks. Energy sparked around its form as it lost power before tilting to the side and falling off of the tower.

Joker flew the _Normandy_ through the wreckage of several ships with what remained of the fleet as they observed what was happening. _"Its shields are down! Now's our chance!"_ he shouted to the other pilots and commanding officers as he flew the ship high above the Reaper.

 _"Hit it with everything we've got!"_ ordered Hackett.

The fleet fired on Sovereign, the Reapers armor being punched into easily without its shields to protect it. Joker flipped the _Normandy_ around from its high point and dove toward the Reaper. _"On my flank! We're going in!"_ he shouted. When he was in close, he fired a torpedo and banked right.

The round struck the Reaper in its underbelly, ripping straight through its armor, through its mass effect core, and out its front. Sovereign shook from the attack before it's tentacles started to blow off and the machine began to implode from the inside out.

In one thunderous explosion, Sovereign blew up. Its parts flying across the Citadel as the deadly vanguard ceased to exist.

X

The squad looked up at the main window of the Council chambers and had seen Sovereign's demise. But now faced another problem as the Reaper debris was now heading straight toward them.

"GO! EVERYONE OUT!" Jane screamed as they all ran as fast as they could toward the other end of the level. Jason right at her heels as the wreckage began hitting the tower.

A heavy tremor caused the Commander to fall down the small flight of stairs leading out of the chambers. Jason looked back as several chunks of the ancient machine smashed through the windows. With no other options, he threw himself on top of Jane.

The wreckage crashed into the tower kicking up more dust and debris from impact.

 **X**

 **A/N: Only one chapter remains of this part of the series, but fear not. It is still only just the beginning of this particular remake.**

 **Finally coming soon folks!**


	46. Chapter 45

**A/N: And here we are. 46 chapters and 210,000+ words later, the first part of the remake of the Crysis Effect series is coming to a close. For those that have been there since the beginning, you are all amazing and I intend on rewarding your support and dedication with even more to come after this.**

 **So without further interruption, it is time!**

 **X**

 **Council Chambers - Citadel**

 **August 23, 2183 - 03:08 hours**

Fires continued to rage. The damage was exponential from the attack that had crippled a large portion of the Citadel. Wreckage from Sovereign laid scattered all over the place, the once powerful Reaper vanguard nothing more than piles of salvage scattered all across the station.

The Council chambers looked the worst, being so close to the Reaper when it exploded, it took the most damage when the debris was scattered.

There had been no word from Jane, Jason or the rest of their team since the end of the attack.

X

A chunk of debris was moved aside, a C-Sec officer shined his omni-tool's flashlight into the alcove that was exposed. "Captain Anderson! We've found them!" he shouted over his shoulder.

Several more C-Sec personnel and medical teams jogged over being lead by Anderson and Benezia who used her biotics to lift more of the wreckage out of the way.

Tali came stumbling out first, being helped to her feet by an EMT as a C-Sec officer helped pull Liara out next. "Little Wing." Benezia whispered running forward and embracing her daughter.

A pile of debris a little ways away started to shift. Wrex rose from the damage, blood dripping down his chin as he tossed a metal beam to the side standing to his full height. He reached down and helped Garrus to his feet out of the pile, dragging the injured Turian along as two officers went over to give them a hand.

Anderson looked at all of them, but didn't see no sign of Shepard or Maverick. "Your all safe now." he said as the EMTs looked them over. "Where's the Commander? Where's Maverick?" he asked.

The grim looks on their faces gave everyone pause. Tali and Wrex both looked at the wreckage still covering most of the large room. Anderson followed their line of sight and felt dread fill his heart. The very thought of the woman he considered a daughter after all these years, and one of the bravest men he ever had the fortune of meeting being under all that made him feel sick.

Benezia had tears threatening to fall as she held Liara who was silently crying into her shoulder. The two Humans had given her, her life back. Given her purpose again. And above all, time with her only child once more.

Wrex didn't show it, but he felt as though he had lost a true brother and sister. Both Humans having proven to be his equals on the battlefield and deserving of that respect.

Garrus' eyes remained downcast as the medics help treat his injuries. He couldn't bring himself to think of his friends being under all that. Wounded...dead...he just couldn't. Jason practically survived everything that was thrown at him. And Jane was one of those people that wouldn't give up no matter what happened.

The medics helped Tali repair a few small tears in her suit and administering enough anti-biotics to fight off the infections she knew she had gotten. Despite the slight fever that was already creeping up on her, she prayed to Keelah that the Commander and Jason would come out of this.

Liara held on to her mother. Ever since she had been saved on Therum she had been accepted by both Jane and Jason along with the rest of the crew. They treated her like a true friend, like family. Making her feel welcome and part of the team when they never had to in the first place. Jason had even given her mother back to her, something that she could never repay.

Everyone had one thought in common, _'They can't be dead.'_

When most of the injuries were treated, everyone began heading toward the exit. When they suddenly they all heard a loud creak echo through the room.

Looking back, a large chunk of Sovereign the size of a skycar began to move at the back of the chamber. After a moment it began to lift into the air before being thrown to the other side of the room. Everyone stood in awe as Jason stood tall. His nano suit visibly damaged in various places, but was steadily repairing itself right before their eyes.

He reached down where he was standing and scooped another person in his arms. Jane's armor was dented and she had a couple bruises on her face, but she was alive as the nano soldier carrier her bridal style over the debris.

"You know I can walk, right?" she muttered even though her body ached.

"Oh I know, but how often will I get a chance like this?" Jason asked as they approached the large group. The medics moving in to check them over.

Anderson approached them, a look of relief on his face at seeing the two Spectres alive and well. "It's good to see you two again. Damn find work, both of you." he said with pride.

"Thank you, sir." said Jane when the medic applied medi-gel to her wounds.

"How's the fleet?" asked Jason switching the filter of his helmet on.

Anderson sighed heavily, "It's rough. We're still taking stock of the dead and several of our ships were destroyed by Sovereign. But we won."

"It feels like a small victory, after everything we've lost." said Jane looking at all the devastation solemnly.

Jason put an arm around her shoulders, "It would have been much worse if Sovereign succeeded. At least we stopped the rest of the Reapers from pouring through...for now anyway." He knew damn well that the war had just begun. And looking down at Jane he knew that she knew as well.

The worst was yet to come.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Presidium - Citadel**

 **August 23, 2183 - 06:21 hours**

After having the team checked over by medical personnel, Jason and Jane stood in the Presidium commons with Anderson after making sure the rest of the crew was okay.

Ashley had nearly tackled Garrus, holo-cast and all after seeing that he was okay. Everyone was just happy to be alive after everything that had happened.

The three of them had been contacted by the Councilors personally and were asked to meet them in the commons to discuss everything that had occurred during the war against Sovereign. However, they weren't the only ones to be asked to be there.

"Do you two have any idea how much trouble you have caused?!" They all looked to see Udina stomping toward them. "Stealing Alliance property. Disobeying orders. Assaulting a government official. You three are lucky I don't have you court martialed!" he exclaimed.

"Shut your goddamn mouth Udina!" Jason roared making the Ambassador stumble back. "In case you missed the _shitstorm_ that went down here, what we did was save the whole fucking galaxy while you sat on your ass thinking you were king shit of Humanity."

The nano soldier got in the man's face, "So I'd take a step back before I knock you off your high-horse so hard you won't know your head from your ass."

A shuttle came down from the air above and landed on the small port not too far away from them. The doors opened and a squad of heavily armed guards, Human, Asari and Turian all stepped off first followed by the three Councilors.

The large group walked across the grounds and approached the four Humans who all stood at attention. Jason bit his lip to avoid saying something that he probably wouldn't regret after everything they put him and Jane through.

"Ambassador, Captain, Maverick, Commander Shepard." said Tevos as they stood before them. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."

"Many Humans lost their live in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we, the Council, might live." added Valern.

"There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women." said Sparatus.

"The Council also owes you both a great debt." Tevos said to Jane and Jason with complete honesty. "One we can never repay. You saved not just our lives, but the lives of billions from Sovereign and the Reapers."

"It wasn't an easy feat Councilors." said Jason. "Had you heeded our words and our evidence, more lives could have been spared."

"Indeed. And we will shoulder the blame for our inactions." said Valern with a slow nod, "The heroic and selfless actions you both have shown serve as a symbol of everything Humanity and the Alliance stand for."

"And even though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honor their memories through our actions as of now." said Sparatus.

"Humanity has shown that it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy. You have proved you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council." said Tevos.

Udina's ego looked to be glowing, "Councilor, on behalf of Humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honor and humbly accept."

Jason tilted his head in Jane's direction, she rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill Humanity's seat on the Council." said Valern.

"And given all that has happened, I am sure recommendations from both of you will carry a great deal of weight." Tevos said to the two Spectres. "Do you support an particular candidates?"

"Honestly...I'm all done with politics." said Jason crossing his arms over his chest. He looked at Jane. "What about you Jane? You got any ideas?"

The Commander thought it over in her head before nodding. "Humanity needs someone who will look out for its best interests at heart. But at the same time, they need to have the courage to stand up for what they believe in."

She looked at Anderson and smiled, "Someone like you, sir. I nominate Captain Anderson."

The Council looked a little shocked, and Udina looked like the wind had been ripped right out of his sails. "Him?! You must be joking." said the Ambassador condescendingly. "Anderson prefers to let his fists do the talking."

"Only with you Ambassador, only with you." said Anderson trying to hide his grin.

"While we're on that subject, Udina." Jason held up his closed fist. "Mine's got quite a few words to say to you after what you were spouting off when you grounded us before. Perhaps you two should have a conversation..." he let the threat hang in the air.

"But I do agree with Jane's choice. We have too many politicians on the Council. We need someone who can put defense ahead of politics. I think the Captain would be perfect for the job, if he accepts." the nano soldier added.

Anderson closed his eyes in deep thought. Jason and Jane watched him out of the corner of their eyes, both wondering what the Captain's choice will be.

After a few moments he opened his eyes again, taking a step forward he put his hands behind his back. "I would be honored to be Humanity's representative on the Council. And do everything in my power to help rebuild."

The Councilors looked to one another before going back to the Captain. "We trust in the words of both the Commander and Maverick and will accept you with open arms, Captain Anderson."

"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era for both Humanity and the Council." said Sparatus.

Jane shook her head, "Sovereign was just a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming. Hundreds of ships, perhaps more. This is far from over."

Jason nodded, "She's right Councilors. Just because we sealed the front door doesn't mean they might not have a backup plan to get out of dark space. The Reapers won't stop just because Sovereign is dead. And we're going to do everything in our power to stop them."

The two Spectres nodded to Anderson before walking over the bridge that had been behind them. "You realize that they might try to brush all this aside, right?" asked Jane as they got out of earshot.

"They can try. I had SECOND compile all of the evidence we collected in our mission and stored away it just in case we might need it." replied the Post-Human.

The couple stopped by a railing and overlooked the lakes surrounding the Presidium. The debris from the battle along with the remains of the fleets that fought against Sovereign were scattered everywhere. The clean up process had already begun, but it would be a long time before the Citadel was back to normal.

"I still can't believe all of this." said Jane leaning against the railing. "Everything we've been through. What we faced. What's coming at us next...it's just all hard to swallow." she admitted.

Jason removed his helmet and set it on the ground, no one was around for nearly a mile and wouldn't see his face. He reached out and held the Commander's hand, interlacing his fingers with hers as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Whatever's coming, we'll face it together. We started this, and I know we can finish it."

Jane smiled, "Still the optimistic one? And here I thought that was my job."

"We can switch roles. God knows that we'll be going back and forth when things get rough." said Jason. "But that doesn't change the fact that you're the diplomat in the relationship. I'll stick to being the muscle."

Jane lifted her head and raised an eyebrow, "Relationship, huh?" she smirked, "It'll take a while to get used to hearing that."

Jason smirked back, "Well get used to it, darlin. Cuz your going to be hearing it a lot." he said wrapping his arms around her waist.

The Commander tilted her head, "Why do you call me 'darlin'? Not that I mind, it's just that I haven't heard that kind of accent before." she asked curious.

"I grew up in the south in the United States back where I'm from. Born and raised in North Carolina, that's were my accent comes from. I can suppress it pretty well, but it slips out every once in a while." explained the nano soldier. "As for calling you darlin? It just seemed to fit."

Jane smiled, "I like it. You should let your accent out more often."

Jason smirked, "What ever you want, _darlin_." he said letting his southern drawl out thickly. His smirk widened when he watched a small blush come to the red-head's cheeks as she smiled back.

"Flatterer." said Jane wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his.

Breaking apart, the two soldiers pressed their foreheads together and smiled. "Don't forget, you owe me a date Jason." Jane said grinning.

"Oh I didn't forget." replied the nano soldier before scratching the back of his head. "We just have to find some place that wasn't destroyed in the attack." Jane laughed as they got comfortable together by the railing again.

Nothing in the verse but the two of them at that moment.

X

 **Flux Bar & Club - Upper Wards**

 **August 25, 2183 - 18:01 hours**

The sound of multiple glasses clinking together could be heard through the nearly empty club. Flux has suffered a little bit of damage but was still functioning normally. It was the perfect place for the _Normandy's_ crew to get together and celebrate their victory.

"To the death of Sovereign and ensuring galactic safety." said Jason raising his glass. Everyone else toasted as well and clinking their glasses together.

"Heard it got rough up in the tower." said Ashley taking a sip from her glass.

"It was, that damn Husk nearby tore us apart. Thankfully we went at it as a team." said Garrus from the spot next to her.

"With Shepard firing the last shot before Jason finished it off." said Liara remembering the last part of the fight vividly.

"That may be. But we all did our part; as a team. It took all of us to bring that thing down and complete the mission, it wasn't just one or two of us." said Jane seriously from her spot next to Jason.

The nano soldier raised his glass again, "And let's not forget the baddest pilot in the Traverse, who took down that freak of nature with one final shot."

Joker raised his arms, "Thank you, thank you. I'd like to thank the academy, my mom, and everyone who believed in me."

Everyone rolled their eyes, "You had to give him a compliment, didn't you." Jane said to Jason who just shrugged.

When everything calmed down Jane spoke again, "I got a transmission from Arcturus station, from Kaidan." The team all sat up straighter, "He's awake, and healing just fine. He should be starting rehab in about two months. Says he wishes he was there to help us take down Sovereign."

"Good to know that he's okay now." said Ashley. "What's everyone got planned now?"

"Going back to Tuchunka." said Wrex downing his ryncol. "Gonna try and unite the Krogan under one banner. I think it's time my race stop being used as hired guns."

"Can't think of anyone else better qualified to lead them." said Garrus with a nod.

"What about you Garrus, what are your plans now that the mission's over?" asked Jane.

"Go back to C-Sec I guess. Won't be as much fun with all of the red tape and what not. But it's what I'm good at." replied the Turian.

"Better be more careful now Garrus. Especially with an Alliance girlfriend on your arm." said Jason smirking.

Ashley flipped him off before leaning into the Turian's side. "How did you two settle everything between yourselves?" asked Jane a little curious about the relationship between her Gunnery Chief and the C-Sec detective.

"We...decided to take things slow." said Garrus a little uncomfortable with all of the attention.

"Y-Yeah." said Ashley a little embarrassed herself. "I still have a lot of issues to work out with how I feel about other species. But I'm hoping Garrus here will help me with that." she said holding his hand on top of the table.

"More power to the both of you." said Jason with a nod.

"This a private party or can others join?" The team looked up as a familiar Turian-Quarian couple and Krogan shopkeeper approached their table.

"Reena? Chellick? Thrax? What are you guys doing here?" asked Jason a little shocked seeing them.

"Well, after fighting Geth for the last day and a half while helping C-Sec secure various sectors. We thought we'd track down our good friend and check to see if he was still alive." said Chellick as they all pulled up chairs.

"Damn machines attacked the shop." grunted Thrax grabbing a bottle of ryncol from another table and chugging half of it. "Blasted the fuckers to salvage whenever they came into range."

Wrex narrowed his eyes at the other Krogan, "Thrax...been a while." he growled over his glass.

Thrax narrowed his lone eye back, "Wrex. Haven't seen you since you killed your father, nice execution by the way."

The red armored Krogan chuckled, Thrax's own rumbling laugh soon joining as they knocked back more ryncol. After watching the odd exchange everyone went back to their conversation.

"It's been a long time for us as well, Reena. It's good to see you again." said Tali to her old friend.

"You as well, Tali. And it's good timing because Chellick and I are getting married soon. I'd like for you to be there." said Reena happy to be speaking to her friend and fleet-sister again.

Tali was a little shocked but nodded. "O-Of course! I'm so happy for you." she said hugging Reena.

"We'll, I already got a date for the wedding." said Jason wrapping an arm around Jane. "But I think Tali's going to need one now." he swung his head around and looked pointedly at Joker who choked on his drink.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked the pilot as his face started to change colors. Tali began rubbing her hands together as everyone started snickering.

Jason looked around at everyone gathered around. All of his friends and comrades having a good time together and basking in their victory over the Reapers.

But deep down he knew that it wouldn't last. The Reapers were still coming, and if events played out the way he knew they might things were only going to get a lot worse before they even got remotely better.

As the night went on, the nano soldier kept thinking about the future and how much things were going to change with the plans he was hoping to execute. Part of him even wondering if anything would change at all or if things would stay the same.

Would it even matter if he tried?

Jane curled into his side as she laughed at something Ashley was saying. The nano soldier couldn't help but feel that in her presence that things would work out. She had that power about her that made you believe that anything was possible no matter how hopeless it seemed. And to him, he was that one lining of hope that would help him through the horrors that were to come.

And it was because of her, that he would do whatever it took to make sure that they won the coming war. And how far he was willing to go to make sure that they didn't fail.

But most of all...we was not going to lose Jane Shepard from his life. Even if it cost him everything...

 **X**

 **A/N: And there you have it, ME1 is complete. But before you all get anxious for ME2, I'm here to tell you that instead of splitting the entire story up into three separate arcs, it will all be placed here into one large volume separated by 'Prologue Chapters'.**

 **The next chapter to be posted here will be the beginning of the next arc, and it will be here that many new changes will be made along with even more content that DFX never had the chance to capitalize on in the original. But for now I'll leave it to surprise you all when the time comes.**

 **As always, keep the reviews coming and I'll keep writing! Till next time my readers!**


	47. Prologue II

**A/N: With how well things have been going, I figured that I would get the prologue chapter of the next part of Crysis Effect up early for the enjoyment of my readers. And I don't intend on letting you all wait too long for it.**

 **X**

 **Prologue II:** **Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo. =** If I cannot sway the heavens, I will raise hell.

 _ **The Protheans called them the Reapers, a name they had given to an ancient race of machines that had been wiping out galactic civilizations in the Milkyway Galaxy for eons. Every 50,000 years they harvest every species reaching the pinnacle of their evolution before returning to Dark Space to wait for the cycle to begin again.**_

 _ **We think the galaxy is ours, but the cruel truth of the matter is we're only keeping warm for the next guy.**_

 _ **Over three years ago, a soldier from another world had arrived in this world through the intervention of an omnipotent being. Gifted with a powerful suit of armor, abilities and skills that made him more than what he once was, he set out to end the cycle of the Reaper Harvest while at the same time trying to help the galaxy prepare for their imminent arrival.**_

 _ **Through his journey he set a path he intended to follow to the very end. Making friends and allies along the way, and even finding love with the only other person who could also stop the Reaper's plans.**_

 _ **With the destruction of the Reaper Vanguard, Sovereign, the galaxy had a moment to breathe a little easier for the time being...but it would not last. The Reapers were still coming, and if the galaxy were to have any chance at surviving the coming storm then they needed to be ready.**_

 _ **As for the**_ **Normandy** _ **and her crew, they would have to be ready as well. Because their actions against the ancient machines had put them directly into their crosshairs...**_

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Jason's Apartment - Citadel**

 **September 20, 2183 - 07:30 hours**

 _ **(One Month after the Death of Sovereign)**_

The artificial sun of the station's day cycle shone brightly through the bedroom window, casting a bright glow on the two occupants curled up together in the bed.

Jason's eyes snapped open almost instantly. His body hardwired to wake up at a certain time everyday thanks to his training and the amount of combat he had been in.

He looked down and smiled at the head of red hair that was still sleeping peacefully on his chest. It had taken a little bit of work to convince Jane to stay at his place instead of a hotel. As usual, her stubbornness had kicked in and she said she didn't want to be any trouble.

But in the end she broke down and agreed when he explained to her that they were in a relationship and that he would be happy to have her there. They'd spent the last few weeks at his place and things were going very well.

The two Spectres had much deserved time off after saving the galaxy from Sovereign and the Geth. And they spent that time getting to know one another on a much deeper level. She talked about her family and all the good times she had with them while living on Mindoir, she also talked about her military training and her time as an N7.

Jason talked about his family, and his own training and the time he spent as a Marine before he 'wound up in New York' fighting the Ceph.

He had never told Jane or any of their friends about where he was really from, but he didn't want to reveal his true past and the meeting with the Librarian. More often then not, he felt that he should tell them of what is coming.

But the issue with that was not only the repercussions that would come about, but also the fact that he didn't have any evidence to prove it like he did from his time in the Crysis universe.

Running his hand through the Commander's hair, the nano soldier felt her stir a moment before her jade green eyes opened slowly. "Mornin', darlin'." Jason said letting his southern drawl creep out.

Jane smiled up at him. "What time is it?" she asked stretching a bit before curling back into him again.

"Just after 7:30." replied Jason causing her to groan.

"We've got a meeting with the Council later. I'm really not looking forward to that." she said rubbing her eyes.

The Council had supposedly kept their word about looking into the Reaper threat. But the couple knew that it was only a front to make it seem like they were doing something. So far it was only Anderson that truly held the faith when it came to the race of ancient machines.

It was pissing Jason off to no end, but he and SECOND had already started building a contingency plan for when they attempted to brush everything about the Reapers aside.

"Neither am I. But we still have to go and listen to them bitch, the down side to our so called 'awesome jobs'." said Jason as he rolled out of bed and started getting dressed.

"Do we have to get up? It's still early." Jane said sitting up and wrapping the sheets around her bare form.

The Post-Human shrugged as he slipped on jeans and a black t-shirt, "Fine, but you'll miss breakfast." he said over his shoulder heading out the door. He smirked when he heard her get up and dress quickly. One of the many things Jane had learned about him in the time she was staying there was that he could cook pretty damn well.

He was in the kitchen for a total of 30 seconds when she came in behind him wearing a black tank top and a clean pair of his boxers with her hair up in a pony tail. "So what's for breakfast?" she asked, hopping up on to the counter.

"Texas toast with a side of scrambled eggs and bacon." said Jason taking out everything he needed to make it.

Jane smiled, "Sounds really good. Need a hand?"

The nano soldier chuckled and shook his head, "I've got it, darlin'. You sure you even wanna risk it after the waffle incident last week?" he asked raising an eyebrow at her.

"So I'm a little out of practice with cooking. Don't go holding it against me just because I've had to live off of military rations for so long." she replied with a pointed look.

Jason raised his hands in surrender before he started cooking. Jane watching him go about it while making a little small talk about the on-goings of the Citadel.

The clean up had begun not long after Sovereign's destruction. All of the Council species sent out search and rescue teams to locate the missing and dead while everyone began to rebuild. But it would be a long time until everything would be back to normal again.

Even though they had time off, the two Spectres were hounded every time they left the apartment. The press, military officials, political heads, everyone wanted a piece of both Jane and Jason.

It was sheer luck and skill that Jason was able to keep his identity from getting out as Maverick. But they both managed to get by with as little trouble as possible.

Sitting down at the table together to eat, Jane perked up when she remembered something. "I got a message from Wrex the other day. He's already coming up with plans to get all the Krogan together, and several members in his clan have already begun rallying behind him." she said before taking a bite of eggs.

"If there was ever anyone to get the Krogan to become a united species again it would be him." replied Jason. "Let's just hope that some of your diplomacy rubbed off on him."

"Or it could have been you setting him straight on Virmire. Your pretty diplomatic yourself a lot of the time you know." said Jane.

Jason shrugged, "Maybe, but you're the one with the silver tongue between the two of us." he said chuckling at the blush that appeared on her face. "What about Kaidan, anything new with him?"

"His rehab sessions have been going well. He basically had to learn how to control his biotics all over again with the new implant. But he said that since he won't have to worry about exploding or the migraines ever again he's happy with it." said the Commander.

Almost everyone in their team had been separated. Wrex heading back to the Krogan homeworld and Kaidan recovering from what happened on Virmire was only the start.

Garrus had returned to C-Sec. He was welcomed back with open arms and was honored for helping the first two Human Spectres save the galaxy. But he had told them more than once that he missed going out and doing the right thing without having to deal with all the red tape.

Tali was still on her pilgrimage, even though the Geth data Jason had given her would have made a more than worthy gift to find her place among the flotilla she wanted to stick around the _Normandy_ just a little longer before returning to her people.

Though everyone could see that she just wanted to be a little closer to Joker before she had to go back.

Liara had also stayed on the ship. She had found good friends among the crew and had vowed to stay with them for a little longer before going back to researching what she could on the Protheans. Now that she had seen the truth behind their extinction, she was going to find as much valuable data as she could to help prevent the cycle of genocide from continuing.

As for her mother, after Benezia had been freed from Sovereign's indoctrination thanks to Jason and SECOND she had vowed to do what she could to ensure that nothing like this ever happened again. She'd taken a shuttle to Feros to make peace with Shiala for what she had done to her before heading to Thessia to report what she had seen and endured to the Asari higher ups.

She had promised Liara that she would stay in touch much better than she had before. The mother and daughter had truly never been closer.

Ashley was also staying with the _Normandy_. Even though she and Garrus had started a relationship, she still said that she had a duty to serve aboard the ship with the two Spectres. The inter-species couple had gone on a several dates since the battle ended, one of them was a double date with Jason and Jane that all of them had a blast during.

Quite a few people were surprised at the relationship that the two had formed, especially with Ash's past xenophobic beliefs. But thanks to her talks with Jason on the _Normandy_ she had come out of that shell and Garrus was helping even more the longer they were together.

Everything seemed to be going their way. But it didn't feel that way.

Jason knew what was coming next, and that it was only a matter of time before the Council sent them out to 'deal with the rest of the Geth'. And where the Collectors would be waiting for them.

He'd been trying to find a way to get around it but nothing would have made sense. Thinking about just flat out telling Jane crossed his mind for the umpteenth time in a few days but he shoved it back down into his mind. There just had to be another way to get her out of there alive.

Jane could feel it too. She may not have known what he did, but the Commander could tell that something bad was going to happen soon. The fact that the Council had been very brief whenever they talked to them about the Reaper threat also didn't do them any favors.

The couple had spent two separate nights talking about it. Both were frustrated that the three Councilors were going to pull the same shit they had before when they wanted to go after Saren on Ilos. Of course, with Anderson now on the Council there was hope that, that wouldn't happen.

"When do we have to meet with the Council today?" asked Jason as he cleared the table when they were finished.

"At two o'clock in the Council chambers. They just finished clearing it all out all of the debris and got most of the repairs done." replied Jane heading back down the hall to the bedroom. "I'm grabbing a shower...wanna to join me?" she asked slipping the tank top over her head and tossing it aside as she gave him a sinful look over her shoulder.

Jason grinned before following after the beautiful red-head.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Council Chambers - Citadel Tower**

 **September 20, 2183 - 14:02 hours**

Being back in this place after the battle seemed too surreal. It was only a little over three weeks ago that they fought Saren's corpse as it was being controlled by Sovereign, the super powered Husk being taken down with all of them going at it with everything they had.

Even though the atrium was still a wreck, the place was almost completely back to normal thanks to the rebuilding efforts. Many people just wanting things to go back to the way they were before.

But to those involved in the battle, there was no going back after this.

After spending most of the morning in the shower doing everything but actually getting clean. Jane and Jason spent a little time relaxing together before getting into their armor and heading to the Citadel tower. Jason taking them in his skycar and parking in a section reserved for Spectres when they're called in.

The couple walked up the small flight of stairs and into the Council chambers where the four representatives were waiting for them. "Councilors." said Jane slipping into her business persona as they both stood shoulder to shoulder together.

"Commander, Maverick. I trust that your time off has proven to be beneficial?" asked Tevos.

"Once you get past the press hounding us and every political dignitary wanting us on their side, it was rather nice to have a little time off." said Jason with his voice filtered.

"It comes with the territory of being in the Spectres, I'm afraid." said Valern. "And a given your achievements during your fight against Saren and the Geth."

And there it was. The first subtle hint that the Council was starting to disprove the existence of the Reapers. Jason kept his mouth shut as Jane spoke. "You forget that it was Sovereign that was in control Councilor."

"Yes, we are still very much aware of the Reaper's attempt. And thanks to your efforts it failed in opening the Citadel relay." said Sparatus stiffly. "And since the rest of its kind have no access to the galaxy, everyone can breath a bit easier."

"A bit easier?" Jason asked skeptical. "Sovereign was the gatekeeper left behind by the rest of the Reapers to let them through when the time came. Just because the front door is locked doesn't mean they won't find another way in."

"Maverick is right." said Anderson. "If the Reapers reside in dark space, there is no telling when or where they will come."

"Listen to what your saying." said Sparatus with a shake of his head. "You talking something returning from 'dark space'. Nothing could survive out there, it's not possible."

"They're machines Councilor. And you saw what Sovereign is capable of." said Jane. "It blew right through your fleet and destroyed several Alliance ships as it tried to gain control of the Citadel. That kind of power is beyond anything anyone has ever faced before."

"You failed to heed our warnings once, and it almost cost us everything." said Jason crossing his arms. "Don't make the same mistakes because your fear is clouding your judgement."

The Turian Councilor bristled and was about to say something back when Tevos interrupted. "We are well aware of the situation involving the Reapers. However, this is not why we have called you to this meeting."

Everything slowly settled down before she spoke again, "We have received reports of suspicious activity along our boarders close to the Terminus Systems." said the Asari Councilor. "Three ships have gone missing in the last two weeks. We believe that the last remnants of the Geth that followed Saren and Sovereign may have had something to do with it."

"Are we sure that it's the Geth? The Terminus Systems are filled with mercs and slavers, chances are they could have been responsible." said Jane.

"We believed the same at first." said Valern. "But from what we could gather, the three missing ships were attacked and taken out with such speed and precision that nothing was left behind. No transmissions, no escape pods, not even wreckage. But there is a factor that did make it seem just a little more odd."

"And that being?" asked Jason.

"The crew of all three vessels were Human." said Anderson. "It's no surprise that anyone in the Terminus could hold a grudge against Council Space. But targeting three vessels and leaving nothing behind is troubling. And that's why we called you here."

"The _Normandy_ is the only ship equipped with the proper stealth systems to get close enough to the Terminus boarder and not risk an intergalactic incident." said Tevos. "That is why we wish to send you and your crew out to investigate the missing ships, and eliminate any Geth that you find in the region."

"And if the Geth are not the true cause?" asked Jane.

"The very same applies if you discover Geth." said Sparatus.

The two Spectres looked at one another, and could tell that the other had a sense of foreboding that didn't sit well with them. "We'll contact our crew and head out immediately, Councilors."said Jason after a moment.

The meeting came to a close not long after that. Jane and Jason walked down the steps into the atrium as they discussed what they had been told. "You know they're just trying to shut us up about the Reapers, right?" asked the nano soldier as they stepped around a Keeper that was helping in the repairs.

"I know. It seems more like they're trying to forget everything that Sovereign was in the hopes everything will go back to normal." said Jane with a sigh. "Ash was right, this is why people hate politics."

"Surely not all politics are bad." the two turned and saw Anderson approaching them.

"Councilor." said Jason grinning under his visor.

Anderson waved him off, "I just wanted to speak with the two of you before you set out." he said in a hushed tone. "After reading the reports on the missing ships I got a bad feeling. There haven't been any Geth attacks since Sovereign's defeat. To simply assume that it's the Geth would make sense, but why wait so long after the failed attack on the Citadel? Geth are machines, but they wouldn't just attack like that unless there's a reason to."

"So you think that it's something else too huh?" asked Jane

The Human Councilor nodded, "I do. But I can't prove it. There is a possibility that it is the Geth, but something in my gut tells me that it's something else. I just want the both of you to be careful out there."

"We will, Anderson. You just handle the homefront, and we'll get back to you when we figure out what's going on out there." said Jason.

Anderson nodded, "I have to get back. Being a Councilor's a rough job, kinda makes me miss being in the Alliance." he said cast a glance at Jane who grinned.

"There was no one else perfect enough for the job, Anderson. At least now I know there's someone on the Council that we can actually count on." replied the Commander.

The Councilor chuckled, "True enough. Good luck out there you two." he said before heading back to the chambers.

"He's on our side, but I think the rest of the Council will keep looking down on us like we don't really matter." said Jason crossing his arms. "Personally...I'll never stop hating politics."

"Do you regret becoming a Spectre?" asked Jane as they headed back to the skycar.

The nano soldier looked down at her before reaching out and grasping her hand. "Yes and No. Yes because I'm stuck being under the Council's thumb and have to follow their rules when they don't think I'm doing anything right." He gripped her hand gently. "And no, because it got me closer to you."

The Commander smiled, "Good."

X

It had taken them a few hours to get into contact will the crew and had them assemble on the _Normandy_. When they all got together the two Spectres explained the situation and told them that they would be heading out within the next 30 hours.

Everyone was more than ready to get back into action after having some well deserved time off. Ashley being one of them since her leg had finished healing a week ago and she hated that she missed out on the final fight.

They had all gathered at Flux to have one last night together before heading off into the unknown once more. Garrus, Chellick and Reena joining them since they all had become so close since the attack on the station.

"So, another long peril filled mission, huh?" asked Chellick with his arm around his Quarian bride-to-be. Their wedding was in another three months, and every one of their friends were more than ready to watch the couple tie the knot.

"Guess so, but this is mainly just a recon mission." said Jane taking a sip of her drink.

"More like a way to keep everything quiet around here." said Garrus. "Ever since we proved them wrong about Saren and the Reapers they've been doing a lot of back tracking to cover up anything that might cause a public panic."

"Stupid politicians." muttered Ashley from his right. "At least Anderson's on the Council."

Jason had been quiet the whole time and barely touched his first drink. Reena noticed this and set her own drink down, "You alright, Jason? You haven't been talking much."

The nano soldier shrugged and downed his shot of whisky in one go. "A lot on my mind. Been trying to wrap my head around this upcoming mission."

It was true, ever since they had been told about the missing ships Jason was hit with a large wave of deja'vu. And ever since then he'd been in his own head trying to come up with a way that would avoid the _Normandy_ being destroyed. But so far nothing would make sense.

"What's on your mind?" asked Jane.

"It doesn't feel right." he replied simply, "Three ships going missing without a trace. It could mean a number of things, but something feels very off. I haven't had this kind of feeling since New York."

"What else could be out there? I mean it is the Terminus Systems." said Joker leaning back in his chair.

"Guess we'll find out when we find them." said Ashley.

Jason was still lost in his head. Jane patted the side of his face bringing him back to the present. "Everything will be fine, I promise."

If only he could believe her this time.

X

The rest of the night was spent drinking, dancing and just having a good time. When it all came winding down everyone either stumbled or walked back to where they were staying. Garrus and Ashley went together, most likely to have one last night together before they were separated.

Jason and Jane walked hand and hand back toward Jason's apartment. The couple had, had a good time like everyone else and were ready to just curl up in bed until they had to meet at the ship with the rest of the crew the next day.

Entering the apartment, they kicked off their shoes and headed to the bedroom. "Jason, are you sure you're okay?" asked Jane as they got ready to go to sleep.

Jason pulled his t-shirt off and sat on the edge of the bed. "I..." he hesitated. There was no other way to go about this. No matter how much it might suck, he had to tell her the truth and hope for the best.

Jane sat down next to him and pulled his face to the side to meet her gaze. "Listen, I know your scared. Hell I am too. After everything we've faced and what's coming our way, we have every right to feel a little afraid. But that's what makes us stronger as people...and stronger as a couple."

The Post-Human sighed, "I know Jane. It's just...I feel like I could lose you if I don't..." he paused. The thought of losing this woman scared him more than the Reapers ever could, it was a fear that plagued his ever thought almost everyday. "I just can't lose you. After everything we've faced, and how much I've come to rely on your presence. I don't know what might happen."

Jane rubbed his shoulder, "I feel the same way. Like this is all a dream and I could wake up at any moment. That's why I make the most of every moment we have." She reached up and undid the clasp on her dog tags, putting them in her hand before placing them in Jason's and closing his fingers around them. "I want you to have these, Jason. As a reminder that no matter where you are, I'm always there with you."

Jason gripped the tags in his hand and smiled, "I wish I had something to give you."

Jane laughed lightly as her arms wound around his neck, her forehead pressed against his. "You are all I need. We both have been alone all this time, taking on challenges no one in their right mind could face. And yet here we are."

Setting the tags aside, Jason held the Commander's waist as he kissed her. "You know, you sounded like a cheesy romance novel just now right?"

The red-head smacked his arm before shimmying out of her pants and crawling under he covers, "Shut up and get into bed, soldier. We've got a long day tomorrow."

He gave a mock-salute, "Yes, ma'am." he said before crawling in next to her. Jane curling her small, curvy frame into his as she got comfortable.

As they drifted off to sleep, Jason realized that even though things may seem the same as they were in the game, things could be changed just as easily in real life. Because to him, this was real life now. And he would do whatever it took to make sure that everything would turn out okay for everyone involved.

Wrapping his arms around the woman he loved, the nano soldier joined her in the land of dreams. Thoughts of the impending future the farthest thing from his mind. The only thing that mattered to him was the one in his arms.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **SSV Normandy**_ **\- Cargo Bay**

 **September 30, 2183 - 11:10 hours**

Emergency lights and alarms rang out through the entire ship. Fires raged out of control as the whole vessel shook from an explosion on one of the upper decks.

In his nano suit, Jason used his enhanced strength to lift a collapsed chunk of bulkhead off of one of the crew that was pinned under it before helping them to the nearby escape pod.

Adams, Tali and a few other people from the engine room helped take the man inside and get him in a seat as another explosion rocked the ship. "What the hell's going on up there! What's attacking us!" shouted one of the crewmen inside the escape pod.

Jason looked around the wrecked cargo bay, the metal of the hull creaked from the hits it had taken and wouldn't last much longer. "Get out of here!" he shouted to the crew.

"What about you?" asked Tali both worried for him and terrified about the situation.

"I'm heading up to the upper decks, make sure that everyone else made it off. Don't worry I'll be fine." he replied heading to the elevator.

"The lift is out! You'll never make it!" shouted Adams.

The nano soldier spun around, omni-tool flared as the controls for the pod were hacked. The doors slammed shut and the pod was shot from the _Normandy_ before any of them knew what had happened.

Satisfied that the surviving crew on this level were safe, Jason headed to the elevator door and grabbed the bottom. **"Maximum Power."** the metal creaked and groaned as the Post-Human used all his strength to pull the large reinforced door open.

The inside was a mess. The lift had collapsed from one of the attacks that hit the ship and laid in a mangled mess at the bottom level. "This won't stop me." he said looking up the shaft to where the crew deck was located.

Bracing himself, he lept into the shaft and grabbed a ledge that was a third of the way up. Pulling upward, he launched himself the rest of the way and grabbed the base of the door leading out.

Using what little space there was, Jason braced his left knee on the ledge and grabbed the bottom of the door like he did the one in the cargo hold. **"Maximum Power."** Pulling with all his strength, the door groaned in protest as it opened just wide enough for him to get through.

Rolling inside, the large door slammed shut behind him as he got to his feet.

The Crew deck was almost completely in flames. The charred corpses of a few unlucky servicemen laid around making the nano soldier feel guilt seep into his chest. _'No! No time for that, get moving!'_ he shouted in his head as he ran up the stairs leading to the CIC.

He approached the door and prepared himself to enter. _**"Air Seals Engaged. Magnetic Boots Engaged."**_ chimed SECOND as the door slid open, sucking air out of the stair well as Jason stepped out into the CIC which made the rest of the ship look better.

The CIC was a complete disaster. A large hole was ripped into the roof revealing the many stars out in the void and the planet they had been close to at the time of the attack. The light from said planet illuminating the many terminals and chairs that had been ripped out of place and were now floating in zero-gravity along with three dead bodies.

The galaxy map flashed and sparked from the damage it suffered as large chunks of the hull began to break off from the weakened structure.

Moving slowly so that his mag-boots stuck right while in the vacuum. Jason made his way through the ruined CIC toward the bridge. Pushing several chairs out of the way so that he could see better.

Up ahead, a kinetic barrier was erected to seal off the cockpit where Jane was helping Joker out of his seat and toward the escape pod nearby. Relieved to see that she was alright, Jason began to move a little quicker forward.

 **"Warning: Attack Imminent."** he spun around and saw the large, hive-shaped ship come back around through the opening in the _Normandy_ 's hull. It's main weapon charging just before a beam of super heated energy shot through the air and sliced into the already crippled ship.

 **"Danger Level: Increasing."** warned SECOND as the beam began to draw closer to him. Jason turned back to the bridge and began moving as fast as he could. Leaping the last couple of feet and landing in time as the back half of the ship was cut away and began to drift from the front end.

The nano soldier kept moving. The remaining piece of ship wouldn't last much longer and he had to reach Jane before-

Another beam of energy cut into the cockpit. Sending Jane flying back out of the way as Joker shouted to her from the escape pod. As the beam cut farther and farther, the Commander made a split second decision.

She punched the eject panel for the escape pod. Sealing the door and sending it away as a small explosion ripped her away from the console and sending her slamming against the bulkhead. A second explosion sent her into the opposite bulkhead before she drifted down the length of the bridge.

Jason caught her after seeing the two small explosions. But the impact sent them both flying off into the empty void. One final shot from the enemy vessel struck the engine core causing the large portion of the _Normandy_ to explode in a massive fireball.

The two Spectres were thrown from the blast, Jason clinging to Jane with everything he had as they were lost among the rest of the debris.

Then he saw it. Air leaking out of her hard suit from three separate locations, caused by her hitting the bulkhead so hard from the explosions.

Spinning her around, Jason brought up his omni-tool and began dispensing omni-gel to cover the suit ruptures. Jane's green eyes widened behind her helmet's clear visor seeing him in the same situation as her, but relaxed as her air supply slowly began to regulate.

Patching up two of the holes, the Post-Human began to work on the last one when something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

One of the _Normandy's_ engines floated by them among the small debris field. Orange and blue flames poking out of the cracks along the surface as it drew closer.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. Jason looked into Jane's eyes. Jane looked back into his red visor. Everything around them ceased to exist, for just a brief moment it seemed that it was just the two of them floating there.

Then the engine exploded.

The blast was so close that it damaged their suits and ripped them apart. Sending both Spectres flying in separate directions. Jason toward the empty void of space. And Jane toward the nearby planet.

Jason's breath came out in pants as his HUD flickered violently from the blast. He righted himself as best as he could while in zero-gravity and looked for Jane. When he found her his blood froze in his veins.

Her body hurdled toward the planet, the blast taking her so far that he could barely see her anymore...then he saw a small speck of light close to the planet's atmosphere. "No..." his voice rang from within the helmet. "No!" he said louder as tears built up in his eyes as he felt his chest constrict agonizingly.

"NO! JAAAAAAANNNNNNEEEE!" he screamed out. His heart feeling like it was being ripped apart by a wild animal. His cries of anguish muffled by the suffocating, cold darkness of space as he floated helpless in the vacuum.

 _ **"**_ **Suit Integrity Compromised."**

 **"Life Support System Failing."**

 **"Emergency Lock Down Initiated."**

All of the nano suit's non-essential functions shut down as SECOND began to make repairs to save Jason from death. But the Post-Human didn't care. his eyes locked on to where he last saw Jane and remained unblinking.

 **"Suit Integrity Critical: 9%"**

 **"Repairs in Progress."**

The AI's words fell on deaf ears. As he floated in the blackness, Jason felt something die within him. His chest ached with a pain that was far worse than any wound he had ever received.

Ice began to build up along the nano suit while he slipped into unconsciousness. The cold slowly starting to seep into his bones, but he could only think of one thing and one thing only.

Jane Shepard, the woman he had fallen in love with, was dead...and it was his fault.

 **X**

 **A/N: And the beginning begins with a bang, and a crippling moment for our hero. I know a lot of you were hoping for me to keep Shepard alive, but her death adds greatly to the plot that is coming.**

 **And with the death of the one person Jason had come to love since his journey began...a lot of heads are about to roll straight into the fire.**


	48. II Chapter 1

**A/N: Gotta say, I was expecting the backlash from the previous chapter. And for the record, I applaud honesty even if it is criticism.**

 **But before you start denouncing the story for how this second part of the series has started, just hear me out. There are two reasons I kept canon on track and 'railroaded' it. First, consider the butterfly affect. Everything that would have followed could have very well tipped the scales in favor of the Reapers, when the Collectors killed her, the Reapers had believed the bane on their harvest was killed and her return was an even bigger spit in their face. Not to mention a hero returning from the dead is a moral booster for those who would soon follow her.**

 **Second, Jason is still Human. He fought with himself about coming clean about the coming threat and made the wrong call...and paid a hefty price for it in response. And this will propel him to do things HIS way from now on. Anger and grief are huge motivators when it comes to what will be happening next.**

 **The ME universe will be changing folks, be sure of that. And everyone who stands in Maverick's way will suffer for it.**

 **X**

 _The ice cold seeped into every pore. His bones, joints and muscles felt like they were frozen solid. But the aching pain in his chest still persisted. Like a shattered bone that refused to heal._

 _Just when it felt like the ice would consume him completely. Something changed._

 _Warm numbness began to fill his being. From the tips of his finger and toes and spreading out through his entire body. The cold was beaten back until his whole frame felt numb and weightless. But the pain remained. Almost like nothing could ever stop it._

 _And he knew deep down that nothing ever would._

 _X_

 _Jason opened his eyes and found himself back in the ethereal plane that looked like a Forerunner world. The very same place that he had been brought to a few times before. The place where he had met the Librarian when he died at the start of his journey._

 _The nano soldier sat up slowly, his body aching in protest even in this realm of existence. He sat on the large ledge overlooking the open sky where several structures in the distance moved on their own accord._

 _But he didn't notice the sight. His eyes were dead and hollow, his body numb from what he had witnessed and endured not too long ago._

 _From behind him, the sound of light footsteps and the swishing of a long robe on the metal floor was heard as he continued to gaze out into the emptiness. "...Why am I here?" he asked. His voice rough and emotionless as the omnipotent being stopped just behind him._

 _ **"I heard your spirit crying in agony."**_ _said the Librarian._ _ **"I have only ever felt such pain a handful of times before...the pain of a broken heart and soul."**_

 _Jason felt a tear slip down his face. "She's gone...after everything I did, everything I hoped for...nothing changed..." he gritted his teeth. "I should have warned her! Told her the truth! But no, I had to...had to...DAMMIT!" he roared slamming his fist into the ground next to him leaving a dent in the metal._

 _The Librarian remained still as the Post-Human lept to his feet and started pacing. "I could have done something! I could have saved her life, but instead I kept it all to myself. And because of that she's DEAD!" he ranted "Why couldn't it have been me? Why did it have to be her? Why couldn't I..."_

 _He fell to his knees as more tears began to fall. "Why couldn't I save her? Haven't I suffered enough?" Jason looked at the Librarian, for the first time in a long time he felt weak. Defeated. His heart was in pieces and the only one capable of putting it back together was now gone. "Why didn't anything change?"_

 _The ancient Forerunner approached him slowly,_ _ **"Even though smaller events can change the effects of those that are larger. It does not stop the outcome of those larger events. Much like a river cannot change it's flow when you throw stones into it."**_ _she said sagely. "_ _ **You cannot change what fate has set in motion, Jason. Try as you might, certain events are meant to happen regardless of the changes you try to make."**_

 _"But I saved Ash and Kaidan on Virmire. Neither of them died when one of them should have. Why couldn't I save Jane?" he asked almost pleading._

 _ **"That scenario is only but a branch of the main outcome."**_ _said the Librarian._ _ **"In this universe, two events could never have been changed no matter how hard you fight against it. Commander Shepard's demise was one of those events."**_

 _Jason clenched his fists in rage, "And the other is the Reapers' arrival." His glare turned on her. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

 _The Librarian looked saddened,_ _ **"I cannot interfere with your journey, child. I can only offer guidance after I sent you on your way."**_

 _"BULLSHIT!" he roared "You knew all this fucking time that she would die no matter what I did! I had to watch the woman I love get blown to hell by those bug bastards while I could do nothing but watch!"_

 _He felt the energy drain out of him from the outburst. Collapsing to the floor, he kept his heated gaze on the Forerunner, "Why put me through that? Jane...I could have done something to save her. Why did she have to..." he fell silent as what little strength began to fade out of him._

 _Two large, six fingered hands rested on his shoulders. His cobalt eyes looked up into the glowing orbs of the Librarian as she knelt in front of him._ _ **"Not all hope is lost. You know that this is not the end of the woman whose heart you hold dear."**_

 _Jason's gaze faltered a moment, "...she'll come back? Cerberus will bring her back like in the original timeline?"_

 _She nodded,_ _ **"Yes. Her demise was but half of one of this universe's major events. Her resurrection is the other. For it will strike fear into the hearts of those who serve the machines while those who fight them rally behind her."**_

 _Reaching out, she placed one of her hands over his aching chest._ _ **"The pain you feel is great, the rage in your heart even more so, you must harness it and use it as a tool if you wish to see your love again. You will have to fight with all your strength, plant the seeds for this universe's war against the machines before she returns. You may not be able to stop them from coming, but you can ensure that those who wish to fight are ready for them."**_

 _The nano soldier's eyes widened, "Plant the seeds..." everything she was saying clicked in his mind about what she was telling him._

 _The Librarian nodded seeing him understand,_ _ **"Now you see. Your mission is not yet over, Jason. There is still much to do."**_ _Everything around them began to fade. The omnipotent being's words still ringing in his mind as the darkness rose up to claim him once more._

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Arcturus Station - Med Bay**

 **October 13, 2183 - 12:57 hours**

Jason groaned as his eyes slowly opened. The nano suit's HUD flaring back to life as Prophet's voice rang in his ear. **"Nano Suit Reinitializing...Complete."**

 **"System Rebooting."**

 **"All Systems Fully Functional."**

 **"All Damages Repaired."**

 **"User's Vital Signs Stable."**

Looking around the room, he found himself in a large medbay surrounded by equipment. A heartrate monitor was hooked to his chest keeping track of his vitals. A nearby viewport showed the star dotted void of space with the occasional ship passing by, most likely on sentry detail.

"SECOND, where are we?" he asked sitting up slowly.

 **"Alliance Station. Designation: Arcturus."** replied the AI.

"How did we get here?" asked Jason as he shut off the monitor before removing the pads attached to his chest and standing upright.

 _ **"Normandy**_ **Destroyed by Unknown Hostile Force."**

 **"Nano Suit Forced into Emergency Lockdown to Preserve User's Vitals."**

 **"Alliance Recon Team Located Normandy's Lifepods and Found User Two Clicks from the Nearest Pod."**

 **"Alliance Medical Staff, in Conjunction with Medical Officer Chakwas, Had user Moved to Arcturus Station's Medbay for Treatment and Observation Upon Arrival."**

Memories of what happened to the _Normandy_ came crashing back into him then. The pain in his heart came back almost knocking the wind out of him when he remembered the last moments he had with Jane after the ship was destroyed.

The very last thing he saw being her jade green eyes before the engine explosion ripped them away from one another and sent her hurdling toward the planet's atmosphere.

He then remembered the Librarian's words, the pain he felt was replaced by rage and resolve. The Collectors would pay for this in blood.

He was brought out of his thoughts when the door to the med bay opened. A nurse walked in holding a tray of supplies, when she saw the nano soldier standing next to the bed she jumped sending everything clattering loudly to the floor.

"Oh god! Uh...you're awake." she stuttered while gathering up the supplies that were scattered all over. "I...I was told to get the doctor when you woke up...so..." she spun around and quickly fled the room.

A minute later an Alliance doctor entered the room, both looking at the nano soldier in both awe and a little apprehension. "Maverick, I'm Dr. Evens. How are you feeling?"

Jason twitched a finger and activated his voice filter. "Still alive." he stated walking toward the viewport and gazing out into the abyss.

"When you came in you had been exposed to the vacuum of space for almost 16 hours. When the crews found you there was severe ice build up covering your body. We were worried about your condition, especially when our equipment couldn't read anything more than your heartrate." explained Evens.

The Post-Human was silent. "You were unresponsive when you were brought here to the station. We monitored what vitals we could get from you as the ice broke up, thankfully they stayed strong while you were unconscious." continued the doctor.

"How long have I been here?" Jason asked as he watched a dreadnought drift past the station.

"Over two weeks. The surviving members of the _Normandy_ have been here being debriefed on what happened. Admiral Hackett wanted to speak to you personally." said Evers.

At that moment, the Admiral in question entered the med bay. "Doctor, how's our friend?" asked Hackett looking at the nano soldier's back.

"Everything seems fine, Admiral. Though we haven't been getting any accurate readings on his health." replied Evens looking over the datapad in his hand.

"I'm fine." said Jason emotionlessly.

Hackett observed the man before him before turning to the doctor. "Can you give us a moment?" The doctor nodded and left the room leaving the two alone. The Admiral walked up and stood next to the nano soldier, hands clasped behind his back as they stood in silence.

"You loved her, didn't you son?" said Hackett after a while.

Jason breathed out slowly, "Yes."

Hackett nodded, "She was a good person, and a damn good soldier."

The elder man turned to him, "I need to know what happened out there, Maverick. The Council and the Alliance brass have been trying to contact us for answers. Most of the crew have already informed us of what happened during the attack."

The Post-Human was motionless, "We were attacked by an unknown force. I got a glimpse of the ship before I was spaced." he said after a bit.

"What did you see?" asked Hackett.

"The ship was large, bigger than a dreadnought. Looked like an insect hive. Its main weapon tore through the _Normandy's_ barriers and hull like it was butter. It fled after the ship was destroyed, back into the Terminus Systems." said Jason remembering everything clear as day.

The Admiral let out a breath through his nose, "Now we know what happened to the other ships as well. You did good work son, a lot of the crew owe you their lives."

Jason shook his head slowly, "I didn't save her. We got spaced at the same time...and I watched her die while I couldn't do anything."

Hackett reached out and put a hand on the nano soldier's shoulder. "I know that you did what you could. The Commander's death wasn't your fault." Jason looked at the Admiral, "I may not see your face, son. But I can feel the guilt and regret, the same feelings that overcome a lot of soldiers when a mission goes to hell."

The Post-Human turned back to the view port and looked out at the stars.

Hackett's gaze went to the floor, "The accounts of the other crew members have already been submitted to the Council and the Brass. I'll send yours out as well." he said before heading to the door. He

He paused at the threshold and turned back to Jason, "I'll tell them that you're still recovering. Give you some time to wrap your head around things." With that he left Jason alone with his thoughts.

Jason continued to look out into the void, eyes narrowing as the memory of the Collectors slipping away after the attack burned in the back of his mind. "You bastards will pay for this." he growled to himself.

X

Leaving the med bay after another hour of thinking. Jason walked through Arcturus in such a way that made any Marine passing by get out of his way. He went down several corridors getting bewildered looks everywhere he went.

He entered one of the many briefing rooms on the station where Ashley, Joker, Liara, Tali and Chakwas all sat around looking like the world had ended. Liara looked up and gasped, "Jason! By the Goddess, you're awake!" she said standing up with everyone else.

Jason swiped his omni-tool through the air and made sure that any and all listening devices in the room was disabled before sealing the door behind him. "How's the rest of the crew?" he asked looking each of them over.

"Almost everyone made it." said Chakwas. "17 Servicemen lost their lives in the attack. Pressly included...and the Commander..." she finished casting her gaze to the table in front of her.

"Jason what happened?" asked Ashley sounding as though she couldn't believe what had occurred.

"We were attacked by a ship of unknown origin. Me and Jane were spaced when the _Normandy_ exploded. We were separated when one of the engines went critical while we were in the vacuum." he explained emotionlessly.

Joker removed his hat and put his head in his hands, "It's all my fault. If I had just bailed out when she told me too..." the pilot looked at Jason with misery written across his features. "Jason, I'm sorry. If..if you hate me I understand. I mean...I hate myself, why wouldn't you hate me for..." he could even finish. Tears building up in the back of his eyes from the pain and shame he was feeling.

Walking around the table, Jason approached Joker who braced himself for what could happen.

He didn't expect the nano soldier's hand to gently pat him on the shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Joker. The only ones to blame are the bastards that attacked us." he said trying to ease the pilot's mind.

The helmsman looked up at him, a stray tear going down his bearded face. "She gave her life for mine...how the hell can I live with that?" he asked with his voice shaking.

"The same way I will." said Jason looking around at the others. "By surviving. By not giving up. By fighting for what I believe in. As all of us should. Because I have a feeling that this is not over yet."

Those gathered nodded. Tali sniffled, "Why did this happen?" Ashley wrapped and arm around the Quarian as they all tried to push through their grief.

Jason closed his eyes behind his visor, his own pain flaring at hearing Tali's words.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Council Chambers - Citadel**

 **October 26, 2183 - 14:31 hours**

The last week and a half had been pure hell for everyone. Upon returning to the Citadel the crew had been blind sided by the press, wanting to know answers about what happened to the _Normandy_ and Jane's death.

Jason had fired a concentrated overload that took out all of the media equipment and shutting the reporters up as they went to the Citadel tower and report to the Council.

They had been sympathetic, especially Anderson. Jane had been like a daughter to him for many years. Throughout the meeting Jason saw the ex-Alliance Captain fighting back tears as they spoke of the deceased Commander.

A memorial service was held in her honor. Everyone had attended and said something regarding one of the galaxy's greatest heroes. Wrex had even been there and said a few words. Saying that the Commander had been one of the bravest and most noble Humans he had ever met.

Kaidan had been there as well, a nurse with him to be sure that nothing happened to him since his rehab wasn't complete. He was just as distraught if not more so considering the past he and Jane had together as friends.

Jason had remained in his nano suit through the service; but everyone could feel the pain rolling off of him from under the protective layer. He said very little when it was his turn to speak. But those who know him knew what he wanted to say. How much he loved her and how much she meant to him.

But he was forced to swallow it all down and keep his speech brief so that no one outside their group knew about the two Spectres' relationship.

When the service ended, after getting past the reporters once again. The team all went to the bar and toasted the Commander's life, and wished her the best on the other side.

Outside the nano suit, Jason was still as quiet as he was at the service. None of the team could blame him and just offered what comfort they could. But the Post-Human remained in private solitude. Looking at the other couples in their group. Ashley who was being comforted by Garrus. Joker and Tali who were leaning on each other for support.

His mind and heart in agony, despite the words he shared with the Librarian while he was in that coma. He still felt the impact of Jane's death as though it just happened. And he knew that it was a feeling that wouldn't pass anytime soon.

X

As they days passed everyone tried to go back to business as usual. But they all knew that it was all for naught. They just went through the motions as life continued to go on.

Jason had been told to take time off from his Spectre duties since he was still 'recovering' from what happened. But he soon found out the truth of what the Council, save for Anderson, was doing.

He had snuck into the Citadel archives using his Spectre status to gather as much intel on the Collectors as he could to make a case to the Council about the threat they now posed to the safety of the colonists before they started their attack. It was then that he made a discovery.

All of the data, evidence, and eye witness accounts regarding the Reapers had been locked up tight and stored away in a terminal that was heavily encrypted.

Jason was enraged, the bastards had wasted no time sealing everything away not long after hearing about Jane's death. Everything they fought for was being put away in a dark corner so that no one would think to bring it up again.

They were using the Commander's death as a distraction to make sure that the threat of the Reapers stayed silent.

After having SECOND break through the encryption, he copied all of the data contained in the terminal and transferred it to an OSD before locking it all back down and leaving the archives. He sent a message to all the members of the crew that were still on the Citadel; which had only been Liara and Garrus at the time since everyone else had been either sent back within the Alliance ranks, or returned to their home in Wrex and Tali's case.

The Asari and Turian were just as pissed as he was and went to Anderson first. Needless to say that the Human representative was not pleased to hear what his fellow Councilors were doing behind their backs. A meeting had been called, and Jason was going to rip them a new one for this.

X

"Maverick, we were informed that this meeting was to discuss something important." said Tevos as they all gathered in the Council chambers.

Jason took a few deep breaths to calm himself, "I would like to know why certain members of this Council are using Commander Shepard's death to cover up the Reapers' existence." he demanded.

The three other Councilors looked passive, but the nano soldier caught the slight shock displayed in their eyes. "Where did you learn this?" asked Valern crossing his arms playing innocent.

Jason held up an OSD, "I was doing research on the ship that attacked the _Normandy_ in the archives. Imagine my surprise to discover that everything Jane and I had found and reported to you about the Reapers was sealed away and left in the dark so that no one would ever learn of it."

"Those files were restricted to only a select few, Maverick!" roared Sparatus. "You had no right to be digging around in them! Spectre status or not!"

He had them. "So you _are_ covering it up!" he accused.

Tevos pinched the bridge of her nose. "You have to understand. There has been no other evidence of the Reapers' return after Sovereign's defeat. If the Reapers even exist. For all we know Sovereign was the last of its kind."

"You can't be serious..." Jason said not believing what he was hearing. " _If_ they exist?' Have you already forgotten what that thing did two months ago? You can't just brush this under the rug! The galactic community needs to know about this threat!"

"There is no threat!" exclaimed Sparatus. "What ever threat there was ended when the Geth and Saren were defeated. We will not cause galactic wide panic because of the ramblings of a mentally scarred Spectre."

The air in the chambers started to go cold. Jason's fists were clenched so tight green volts of electricity were arcing over his knuckles. "Mentally. Scarred. Spectre?" he hissed out with enough venom to make a Thresher Maw shrink back. "That _mentally scarred Spectre_ saved your worthless asses when the Geth had you against the ropes! We opened the relays, sacrificed the lives of hundreds of Alliance personnel to ensure your survival! AND NOW THAT'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY ABOUT HER NOW THAT SHE'S GONE!"

His outburst shook anyone listening to their core. "You three...are fucking PATHETIC!" he pushed on. "You only care about saving face in the galactic community when the real threat is just on the horizon! What's the point of forming the Spectres if you don't take us seriously when we bring you something of this kind of importance!"

"That's enough Maverick!" exclaimed Valern. "The decision of this Council regarding this matter is closed."

"You work for us now. I suggest you fall in line." demanded Sparatus.

Jason gritted his teeth hard, "Fuck. You. All. Consider this my resignation from the Spectres." the shock that went through the room was felt like an actual bolt of electricity. The nano soldier turned on his heel and walked toward the stairs.

"Maverick! We are not done here!" called Tevos.

"But I am." he replied whirling around. "I'm done with this Council. Politics. And this never ending stream of bullshit. Find a new pawn to fuck with, I'm done." without another word he left the chambers. Got in his skycar and fled the tower.

As he drove through traffic he brought up his omni-tool. "SECOND, contact Reena, Chellick, Garrus and Liara. Have them all meet at the apartment. I've had enough of the Council's lies and cover-ups. It's time to implement our contingency plan."

 **"Acknowledged. Preparations for Contingency Plan in Progress..."** said SECOND.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Jason's Apartment - Lower Wards**

 **October 26, 2183 - 15:43 hours**

It had taken everyone a little time to assemble at the Post-Human's home. Upon arrival they saw him standing in front of the large window overlooking the wards with his nano suit still on, but the helmet on the table.

"Jason, we're here." said Reena cautiously.

He turned and everyone gasped seeing the unbridaled rage in his eyes. "I was right. The Council used Jane's death to cover up the Reapers' existance. And they all but told me to keep my mouth shut about it. I've had enough of this. Too many people have died because they are gutless fools." he seethed making them all shiver.

"Spirits...what did you do?" asked Garrus afraid to know the answer.

"I quit the Spectres." Jason said as though he were ordering a glass of water. "I will not stand by and let what we fought for and discovered be brushed aside like it never happened. They dishonored Jane's memory...I'm going to make them pay for it."

"Sounds like a hell of a good fight." everyone spun around and saw Thrax enter the living room.

"Thrax? What are you doing here?" asked Chellick in shock.

The old Krogan looked at Jason and chuckled. "You honestly didn't think I wouldn't figure this out? I've known you were Maverick for almost two years now. I may be old, but I know a true warrior when I see one." he shrugged, "That...and seeing you use your bow while in armor was a big hint as well."

Jason gave a ghost of a smile, "Glad to let you in on the secret old friend."

"And he's not the only one." said Anderson entering the room as well. "I had a feeling that it was you all this time. After finding out that a random contractor that suddenly appeared in Alliance records was allowed passage on the _Normandy_ I had a feeling something was out of the ordinary."

The gathered group couldn't seem to form words. Jason just shook his head, "Does Hackett know?" he asked casually.

Anderson smirked, "Yes, me and him both put the pieces together. He was hoping you would tell him yourself in person. But that's not important right now." the Human Councilor's smirk vanished as he switched gears. "The Council isn't happy. Having a recently decorated Spectre like you suddenly quit makes them look pretty bad to the community. The press has already gotten wind of it and it's spreading like wildfire."

"I can't blame you for doing it." the ex-Captain continued. "At this point I regret taking the job as Councilor if this is how they are going to treat things. I don't blame people for not wanting to believe in the Reapers; it's nightmare stuff. But what they're trying to do is going too far. Countless lives could be at risk and they just push for silence."

"That's why I called most of the people in this room here." said Jason. "Even though I wasn't expecting Thrax or you Anderson, but it does make it a little easier."

"Makes what easier? What are you planning Jason?" asked Liara.

The nano soldier held up an OSD, the very same one he had in the Council chambers. "They don't want to tell people about the Reapers? Fine, they don't have to...I'll do it myself."

"W-What!" Reena said not believing it. "How can you pull that off? Putting that kind of data on the extranet could have horrible backlash!"

Jason shook his head, "I'm not dropping this kind of a bomb on the public. But I am giving the evidence to those who can actually use it." He set the OSD down and brought up his omni-tool. "When we were on the _Normandy_ , I recorded and filed away every important piece of intel we collected. The data on indoctrination. The meeting with Sovereign. The meeting with Vigil on Ilos. Even the battle with the fleet against Sovereign in the end of it all. I created a heavily encrypted file that I could only get into with all of this."

"What for?" asked Garrus now very interested.

The Post-Human grinned ferally, "A contingency plan...just in case the Council tried something like this. With the press of a button, all of this evidence will be transferred to every government on all four homeworlds of the head species in Council Space."

Dead silence filled the room. "G-Goddess..." said Liara in shock. "The Council would be implicated in their cover up, and all governments will know what we know about the Reapers..."

"Exactly." said Jason. "Though it's not without drawbacks. When the head governments see all of this, the Council is going to be hit with some major fire from all of them." he looked at Anderson. "So I had to make modifications to the plan when Anderson here became Human Councilor. You see, while we were on Arcturus Station I had one last meeting with Hackett..."

X _Flashback_ X

 _Jason stood in a private room as he waited patiently for his guest to arrive._

 _He didn't wait long when Admrial Hackett entered within moments. "Maverick. You said that this was important?" he said standing before the nano soldier._

 _Jason nodded as he held out an OSD. Hackett looked at it oddly before taking it. "What is this?" he asked looking it over._

 _"Every piece of data me and the Commander collected on the Reapers. I have a feeling that when we return to the Citadel that the Council may try to discourage everything me and her fought to uncover. I need to make sure that Humanity is ready if and when they get to our galaxy from dark space." Jason explained._

 _The Admiral looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You want me to give this to the defense council." he said putting two and two together._

 _The Post-Human nodded, "Yes. It also has evidence exonerating Councilor Anderson from any involvement of the cover up. He was on board in uniting everyone to fight the Reapers when the time came. I won't let what those near sighted fools will do effect his good name."_

 _Hackett looked at the OSD again before slipping it into his coat pocket. "Thank you. I don't know if it will do any good. But maybe it will get people to pay attention."_

 _"Just wait for my signal to reveal it to them." said Jason heading toward the exit._

 _"How will I know?" asked the Admiral not turning around._

 _Jason paused at the door, "You will...trust me." with that he left silently._

 _Hackett looked out the only viewpoint in the room and took a deep breath. "She trusted you with everything. I'll do the same." he said to the empty room._

 _Flashback End_

"So you covered every angle." said Anderson now understanding.

"Everything but one." said Chellick. "The moment this data get's out, the Council will eventually figure out it was you that did it. You're the only one that put everything together and confronted them about it."

Jason nodded, "That was also part of the plan. I don't want them going after any of the _Normandy's_ crew thinking it was them...I did this, and I'll take the heat for it." he said with conviction.

"They'll hunt you." said Liara still in shock. "You'll be a wanted man in Citadel Space."

"Maybe..." said the nano soldier as he turned and watched the artificial sunset. "I never thought of myself as a hero, not like Jane was. I do whatever it takes to make sure the innocent are safe. Even if it means sacrificing my own good name..."

Chellick perked up, remembering something that Jason had said to him, Garrus and a few others long ago. "You either die a hero, or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." he said catching everyone's attention.

Jason smiled sadly, "I figured you'd remember that." he said turning to his friend. "And it holds true. And I'll be whatever this galaxy needs me to be. No matter what." his gaze fell to the floor. "I just hope that she would tell me if I was doing the right thing..."

A hand clasped his shoulder, he looked up to see Anderson looking at him seriously. "She would, without a doubt. Jane was like a daughter to me, and I know she would be behind you 100%. Just like I will be."

"And me." said Garrus.

"Me as well." said Liara.

"Us too." said Chellick putting an arm around Reena as she nodded in agreement.

Thrax slammed his fists together, "So what's the rest of the plan?" he said meaning that he was on board as well.

Jason smirked as he brought up a few more things on his omni-tool. It was time to get to work.

 **X**

 **A/N: The council has just royally fucked up, and Jason's no longer playing by anyone else's rules but his own. Within the next couple of chapters a whole new section of content will be added that was never in the original. And if you're a strong enough Mass Effect fan and know the timeline well enough, you know what I might be hinting to.**

 **I have new updates to work on, so keep up the support and you all will get what you ask for.**


	49. II Chapter 2

**A/N: Welcome back folks, to the beginning of the end of the Citadel Council. And after all the bullshit they've caused, and it's not a moment too soon. And even though a few of you out there are still on the fence with how I've taken things thus far, I still appreciate the fact that you're still hanging in here with me and this awesome story.**

 **And I intend on keeping up with my promises for the future of this fic.**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Docking Bay 32 - Citadel**

 **October 26, 2183 - 20:55 hours**

It had taken several hours to get everything into motion. Certain steps had to be taken to make sure that the contingency plan went as effective as possible. Jason had sent everyone out with a specific task that would not only make it all successful, but to also ensure that no one else was implicated.

Anderson was at the Presidium in full view. He would make sure that the other Councilors would be none the wiser to what was about to happen.

Garrus was at C-Sec making sure that this corner of the docking bay was clear for his exit strategy. Even though his Turian friend hated all of the red tape that went with being a cop, fighting for justice is what he loved most.

Jason knew it was only a matter of time before he grew sick of it too and decided to go out on his own.

Chellick, Reena and Thrax were clearing out all of the weapons, armor, and mods from the shop. The three were adamant about going with him after the plan was initiated. Reena had told him that they had been by his side since the beginning, and they weren't going to bail on him now with things about to go as far south as they could go.

Liara...had done something rather surprising. She had contacted her mother and had her pull a few strings, and from this a small frigate that could easily be manned by four people was waiting for them at docking bay 32 where he was now standing with her.

Jason looked the vessel over with a careful eye, his nano suit and what supplies he could gather from his apartment already stored on board since most of his weapons, his bow included, were destroyed with the _Normandy._ "It's a good ship. I gotta thank Lady Benezia when I see her again." he said after looking over the ship.

"After telling her about your plan, she was more than happy to help in whatever way she could." said Liara. "Do you have anywhere to go when you leave here?"

"I had a plan for that too." said the nano soldier. "I learned about the location of an old merc outpost on a planet out in the Terminus Systems. It's been abandoned and forgotten for several years, no one would think to look there for me. Perfect place to lay low and start working from the bottom up."

Liara looked to him a little shocked, "Are you sure? Being within Terminus Space?"

Jason nodded, "It's the only option open right now. And since it's outside of the Council's jurisdiction it'll be perfect for the time being."

The nearby elevator opened, Chellick and Thrax stepped out with several large crates on a moving pallet with Reena trailing behind with her omni-tool flared. "Got everything we'll need from the shop. Including a few blue prints you had stashed away that could be useful." said the Quarian as they went about loading all the supplies on to the ship.

"Are you sure about closing the shop here on the Citadel?" Jason asked Thrax.

The one eyed Krogan smirked, "I'll get better business on Omega if things get tight. And besides, things sound a lot more fun with what you've got in the works."

Once the last of the crates were loaded they all gathered together. "So, what now?" asked Chellick.

Jason brought out his omni-tool, "SECOND, what's our status?"

 **"All Data Required for Contingency Plan is Currently at 83% before Upload can Commence. Estimated time: 45 minutes."** said the AI.

"We've got 45 minutes before I can send the data out. We better get ready to head through the mass relay before then." said the Post-Human.

"Then we better be getting ready for take off." said Reena stepping into the airlock. Chellick and Thrax both nodded to Jason before following after the Quarian.

Liara sighed, "I wish I could go with you, Jason. But there is something of great importance that I must take care of. I'm sorry." she said cryptically.

Jason looked into her blue eyes. He knew damn well what 'important task' she was talking about was going after Jane's body. But he wasn't going to call her out on it, not yet anyway. "No worries Liara. If you ever need me for anything, and I do mean anything, you know how to contact me." he said giving his friend a hug before they parted company.

The young Asari paused and looked back at him, "Don't let her death destroy you Jason." she said gently before continuing on her way.

The nano soldier was touched at her concern, but it wasn't him her death was going to destroy in the end. Taking a deep breath, he stepped through the airlock and on to the small ship.

X

The _MSV Vecta_ left the Citadel's docking bay. Chellick behind the controls as his old military training helped him pilot the craft.

Thrax had set up shop in the cargo hold taking stock of all their supplies while Reena was in engineering making sure the ship's engines were running at peak condition for their trip in to the Terminus Systems.

The _Vecta_ was a good ship. But it was designed for carrying supplies and had no weapons to speak of. So they would have to play it safe until they reached their destination and seem as least hostile as possible.

Jason stood on the bridge behind Chellick as they flew past the Citadel fleet and made their way toward the mass relay. "How much longer?" asked the Turian slowing their acceleration so that they were still a good ways away from the relay.

"Just another 15 minutes." said Jason keeping his eyes locked on his omni-tool.

Minutes ticked by slowly, the air on the bridge was tense as Reena and Thrax came up and joined Jason and Chellick. "Have I told you lately that you're a crazy SOB?" said Chellick looking over his shoulder at Jason.

"No. But it's good to know you still think that." replied the Post-Human with a slight grin.

His omni-tool beeped as SECOND spoke. **"Data Ready for Upload."**

"Alright guys, get ready to run like hell." Jason said seriously as he pressed one button on his omni-tool. **"Upload Commencing."** a loading bar appeared on screen that was filling up rather quickly.

Within another two minutes the bar was completely full. **"Upload Complete."**

"Chellick punch it!" said Jason as his Turian friend gunned the ship's engines. Pulling up along side the relay before being sling-shot off into the stars.

X

 **Presidium - Citadel Tower**

 **October 27, 2183 - 04:49 hours**

The four Councilors entered their chambers in the Citadel tower after being woken up in their homes by urgent messages coming from their offices.

Upon arrival, three of them were shocked to see everything in chaos. Ambassadors, secretaries, and various other officals were scrambling all over the place. "What in the Goddess' name is going on?" wondered Tevos as they began moving faster to the center of the large room.

Anderson kept his face neutral. Hackett had contacted him a few hours prior saying that he had given the data to the Alliance Defense Council. The higher ups were shocked an unbelieving at first. But as the information was unveiled they became terrified that something of this kind of magnitude was about to be kept from them.

The Human Councilor was already given pardon by the Alliance and Earth governments for not having anything to do with the cover up. But they wanted immediate answers on why something like this was kept out of their reach when they should have been told immediately.

A secretary ran up to them almost out of breath, "Councilors! The...you've got urgent calls on vid-com." said the Asari looking more than a little afraid.

"What is this all about?" asked Sparatus curtly.

The secretary looked uncomfortable, "You...you better speak to them. They aren't willing to wait any longer..." she said meakly.

"Who?" asked Valern.

"The Turian Primarch. The Salarian Dalatrass. And a representative of the Asari Republic." said the Asari leaving all three Councilors in a state of shock.

"Why would they be contacting us?" said Tevos as they headed into the private comm room where the hologram images of the heads of the Turian, Salarian and Asari governments were already waiting for them.

"To what do we owe the honor?" asked Valern respectfully to the leaders.

"We wish to know why key points of information regarding the attack on the Citadel were kept from us." said Primarch Fidorian sternly with his arms crossed.

"Primarch, sir. What do you mean? We have kept nothing from you." said Sparatus while he was getting a nagging feeling in the back of his head.

The Dalatrass waved her hand in the air and a holo-screen appeared. The Councilors all watched as a deep, monotone voice echoed through the room. _**"This message is to those who deserved to know the truth. The Council has lied to you. They have made you believe that the attack on the Citadel was orchestrated by the Rogue Spectre Saren and the Geth. When in truth, the real mastermind was something far more dangerous."**_

For the next couple hours, video footage of the meeting with Sovereign came about. The Reaper telling those in the footage what it and its kind were capable of. It then jumped right to the meeting with the Prothean VI, Vigil, on Ilos and what the Protheans had learned and done during the war with the Reapers leading right up to the end.

When all of the footage was done, lines of data was displayed highlighting key points regarding Reaper indoctrination and the power that the machines would wield in a fight. This was coupled with the footage of Sovereign ripping through the Alliance fleet as they fought against it during the battle for the Citadel.

The three original Councilors were all pale and slack-jawed. Anderson did his best to act the part, but given his previous knowledge of this made it a bit difficult.

When it all came to a close the same voice was heard once more. _**"This may seem unbelievable, but it is the truth. Sovereign was a vanguard left behind by the Reaper fleet to open the Citadel relay when the time rose for their return. But now the relay is closed, Sovereign is dead, and they are still coming to continue the cycle that destroyed the Protheans and countless civilizations before them."**_

 _ **"No matter what the Council may think is right. You needed to know the whole truth. The Reapers are more advanced and powerful, they showed no mercy for the Protheans and they will do the same to us all. The time of their arrival is unknown...but they are coming. And I refuse to let you all go on unprepared. Use this knowledge well, we need to be ready before it's too late."**_

Silence filled the room. The Councilors couldn't find words while the heads of their species glared at them, waiting for an explanation.

"We had our techs analyze this intel." said Issha T'Sella, the speaker on behalf of the Asari Republict. "It is genuine, and was pulled from the Citadel's archives. We would like an explanation for your actions _Councilors_." she hissed in anger making Tevos flinch.

"The Alliance has contacted all of us." said Fedorian. "They received the same information, and were just as displeased as the rest of us. From what we can understand, they sacrificed several ships to save your lives and the civilians aboard the Destiny Ascension. Then focused their remaining ships on the Reaper attempting to gain access to the Citadel while your fleet was in ruins. From this, they more then deserved their place in our community."

The Turian leader looked at Anderson as he said this before turning his gaze back on Sparatus where he narrowed his eyes dangerously. "How could you allow such vital intel to be pushed aside?" he growled out. "That was foolish! And irresponsible of all of you! And you, Sparatus, should know the price paid to those who are incompetent."

Sparatus swallowed dryly and nodded, "Yes Primarch, but you have to understand-"

"What we need to _understand_." interrupted the Dalatrass. "Is why you would have lead us along in ignorance while a threat the likes of which none of us could have fathomed might be barreling their way through dark space directly toward us!"

"The evidence given to us was not concrete enough to take action!" Valern tried to reason.

"There were _eye witness accounts_ Councilor Valern." said Fedorian. "Even if they were fabricated, our technicians would have discovered the faults in the recordings. They found none. Are you saying that the ones who faced such horrors and had the decency to record these events to have proof of the Reaper threat were liars?"

No words spoke in response, and it spoke volumes to all in attendance.

"Right now, our defense committees are coming up with a plans for this situation." said Issha. "Whether or not it turns out to be truth, we do not want our fate to be like that of the Protheans."

"And as for the three of you." said Fedorian pointedly to the three original Councilors. "Your replacements are already being chosen. It seems we were mistaken in choosing representatives who would choose silence over galactic safety."

"You will also be transported back to your respected home worlds to face tribunal for your actions." said the Dalatrass. "We will not be dragged down because of your choices."

"This meeting is over, we expect you to be before each of us respectively within the next two solar weeks." said the Asari representative sternly. "Your replacements should be there within the next week, until then we expect all decisions made to be passed through us before they are made. Our word is final in this matter." the lines all cut out after that.

A tense silence filled the room, Tevos pinched the bridge of her nose as everything they had just went through began to settle in. "How did they get the information, it was suppose to be sealed..." it clicked with her then. "Maverick."

"Of course it would be _him_." Sparatus growled. "We have to run as much damage control as we can. This can't reach the public."

Valern sighed, "It's too late for that Sparatus. Now that this has spread to our governments it's only a matter of time before everyone in the Traverse knows about it."

Tevos looked to Anderson who had been silent through the whole ordeal. "Anderson, what have you to say about all of this?"

The Human Councilor said nothing as he put his hands behind his back. "I warned you to listen to Shepard and Maverick when they brought all of this before us. I may not have known he would do something like this, but Maverick has always been the type to do whatever it takes to save others."

"And yet he broke several laws to do what exactly?" hissed Sparatus. "Our governments now know about this farce! And we're being replaced because of it! When I get my talons on that Human I will-"

"Enough Sparatus." said Valern. "The only thing we can do now is cushion the impact this will have, and hope by the end of it all we still have our heads."

Anderson shook his head and exited the room. His thoughts drifting to the Post-Human as he looked out one of the towers windows at the stars outside. "Good luck out there." he said to himself wishing Jason the best.

X

 **Cronos Station - Horsehead Nebula**

 **October 27, 2183 - 06:32 hours**

The Illusive Man sat back in his chair, breathing in a deep drag on his cigarette as he looked over the large stream of data that his spy network had just received. His glowing eyes searching every inch of the stream as a small smirk appeared on his face.

"It seems I underestimated him once again. Perhaps this will work to our advantage in the future." he said into the silent room.

The sound of high-heeled shoes on the floor's surface echoed. Miranda came out of the shadows of the large office and approached her boss. "We've established contact with Liara T'Soni." she said standing behind him.

Blowing out another ring of smoke, the Illusive Man nodded. "Excellent, Ms. Lawson. Continue with the operation. Failure, is not an option."

Miranda nodded, "Yes, sir." she looked at the information displayed before them. "What about Maverick? It's obvious he is on the same page regarding the Reapers as we are."

"Exposing the Reaper threat and the Council's attempt at a cover up was a radical step. But one that would work in our favor if we play our cards right." replied the Cerberus head.

Crossing her arms under her breasts, Miranda narrowed her eyes at the nano soldier's dossier that was also displayed. "He'll never follow Cerberus. He's made his position on our cause quite clear in our last encounter."

The Illusive Man took another drag on his cancer stick, "Then we need to get the leverage to have him follow us." he said bringing up another dossier. This being the one of Commander Shepard. "He may not follow us, but he will follow Shepard. The Lazarus Project will proceed when her body is in our possession. Do not fail me Ms. Lawson."

"Yes, sir." Miranda said before turning on her heel and leaving the room. The tycoon gazed through the wall of holo-screens at the star that Cronos station orbited.

"I may not know where you are, Maverick. But you and I will be crossing paths again very soon." he said out loud leaning back in his chair.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Planet Enos - Hawking Eta System (Terminus Space)**

 **October 29, 2183 - 12:03 hours**

The planet Enos wasn't listed on many star-charts, and had been the perfect place to house a secret merc outpost that had been run by the Blue Suns. The surface was mostly covered in water with a few large islands that made it difficult to locate any possible structures; the perfect place for anyone to hide out.

Though the outpost had been abandoned for many years, the building was perfectly intact. Built into the side of a large rock face on one of the smaller islands, tucked away from any harsh elements that may have eroded away at it.

Arriving on the planet, Chellick set the _Vecta_ down in a docking area that had been set up on a ledge right next to the outpost. It not only helped conceal the ship like the facility, but since the outpost had several corridors tunneling through the rocks connecting to the docking area made it easy to move supplies covertly into the outpost.

Stepping off the vessel, Jason looked around the docking area a moment before heading toward a nearby terminal. For the first time in a while not wearing his nano suit and opting for his black underarmor, leather jacket, jeans and boots.

"This place has been here a while, but it looks like it hasn't suffered any damage." said Thrax as he, Reena and Chellick followed behind him.

"Must be the location." said Reena looking out over the large expanse of water surrounding the island. "The rocks must protect it from any of the elements caused by the planet."

Approaching the terminal, Jason brought up his omni-tool. "SECOND, think you can get into the system and get this place back online." he asked.

 **"Establishing Connection...Connection Established. Outpost's Backup Power Supplies are Still Online. Main Power Core Requires Re-Activation for Full Functionality."**

"I think I might be able to help get the systems back online." said Reena.

Jason nodded, "SECOND, open a path for us to the Power Core. We'll get this place up and running."

 **"Acknowledged."** the door leading out of the docking area came online, the holo-lock going green before opening up to reveal the long corridor that went farther into the rocks. The group all took out weapons just to be sure.

The nano soldier leading them with Avenger assault rifle in hand with Chellick and Reena right behind him and Thrax bringing up the rear.

Everything was silent, the backup power only having the lights cast a light blue glow in the darkness. "Think there's anything here besides us?" asked Chellick sweeping a few shadows with his own assault rifle.

"If there is, we'll crush it." said Thrax racking his Claymore for added effect.

Jason brought up his omni-tool and projected a map of the outpost before them. "The main core is inside the rocks, separated from the main building for safety reasons. These mercs went all out when they built this place." deactivating the device he turned to the others, "After we get the power back on we'll comb the main facility to make sure there aren't any surprises before unloading the ship."

Getting nods in return, the group continued on their way. Going down several corridors and through a few storage rooms that had a few crates of left over salvage and other materials that the mercs had left behind.

After another fifteen minutes, the group reached a large reinforced door with **'Main Reactor'** across the surface. "Here we go. Everyone get ready." said Jason bringing up his omni-tool. The group stacked up behind him weapons ready.

The door opened and they stormed in. The large chamber was dark, only lit by a few emergency lights in a few key areas.

Switching on their flashlights, the team searched around for anything hostile. "Reena, do what you can. Well make sure there's nothing else here." said Jason as he, Chellick and Thrax spread out.

The young Quarian walked up to the main terminal, setting her heavy pistol aside as she began going through the different systems. "Everything seems to be running normally. Looks like they just shut the place down when they left so that no one would discover this place by mistake." she said outloud.

"Can you get it working babe?" asked Chellick as they all came back around after finding nothing else in the room.

"Just...about...got it." she said as the large reactor powered up with aloud hum. The lights around the room flickered a moment before coming online. **"Power Re-Established. Outpost Systems Coming Online."** chimed SECOND as the team filed out of the room.

"All that's left is to check out our new 'home' and unload our stuff." said Chellick shouldering his rifle.

"And try to establish ourselves." said Jason as they moved through the corridors toward the main part of the outpost. "I got a good chunk of creds stashed away to keep us going for a while, all of us do, but if we don't get a steady stream of it coming in than we'll be in trouble."

"So, what? Become hired guns?" asked Chellick.

"Now that sound's like a good idea." said Thrax grinning.

Reena looked at the old Krogan, "Trying to relive the glory days Thrax?" she asked making Chellick snicker.

"Bah! My glory days are far from over little one!" Thrax boasted. "Just you wait, I'll show you pyjaks how we kicked ass."

Jason shook his head, but inside he was glad that the three of them were there with him. As much as things had gone to hell in the last month, he was happy to have his friends at his side.

X

The facility itself was a pretty good sized one. It was composed of four levels. The bottom floor being a hanger/cargo bay were supplies could be kept and a shooting range could be set up. Chellick had also managed to find a still working Kodiac shuttle that needed a little bit of work but was fully functional.

The next floor had an armory, tech lab and a med bay. All were empty of any good supplies or armaments but it could have easily been rectified once they got everything settled and restocked.

Next there was the living area, the whole floor had multiple private rooms and a large barracks for additional people. There was also a large mess area and kitchen, rec room, and gym. All of which also had to be restocked before it could be used effectively.

And the top floor was a combination op center/comm room. Filled with several terminals, a large conference table with a holo-tank in the middle, and a vid-call room that was all now functioning thanks to the power being switched back on.

"Why the hell would the mercs abandon a place like this?" asked Chellick as they gathered together in on the top floor.

"Unknown. The mercs just gathered everything up and bailed. And it's pretty easy to forget the coordinates. So after a few years this place just became another memory that faded away." said Jason looking out the large window in the front of the outpost that overlooked the whole island and the surrounding ocean.

"Either way, it's all ours now. And I intend on using this to an advantage." finished the nano soldier stepping over to the large table as a 3D map of the entire facility came up. "Once we get a few things established, we'll set out to gather some extra supplies. After that we can start building."

"So what's the plan?" asked Reena as they gathered around.

"Chellick's idea about becoming a gun for higher seems to be the best way to bring in credits. This is the Terminus Systems, it's lawless, so I think that's our best bet." said the nano soldier.

"Now that's a plan." said Thrax. "I have a few contacts out here that might be able to help us with that. A couple are on Omega and are always looking for some good help, one of them's an information broker and can feed us intel where we need it."

Jason nodded, "Sounds good. Contact them and set up a couple of meetings. But for right now, let's get ourselves familiar with our new home."

Everyone nodded and headed off in separate directions, Chellick wrapped his arm around Reena's waist as they headed to the elevator and rode it down to the living quarters to set up their own room.

Thrax was right behind them and went down to the armory to finish unpacking all of the crates they unloaded from the ship and setting things up for the future missions they would most likely be receiving soon.

Now alone, Jason shook his head before going into the vid-com room. After punching in the right frequency he waited for the call to take.

He didn't wait long as the form of Councilor Anderson materialized before him. "Jason, I take it you got to where you were going?" he asked sounding tired.

"We did Anderson." replied the Post-Human. "I take it things have been difficult on your end."

The Human representative sighed, "You have no idea how big of a hornets nest you kicked around here. The Council is being replaced, the species governments believe they won't do right for the galaxy. Thanks to what you gave to Hackett and the Defense Council I'm not on the chopping block, but personally I'm thinking about resigning. I'm sick of all this shit already."

"I don't blame you. But you can at least do some collateral damage with the power you still have before you leave." said Jason smirking.

Anderson smirked back before going serious again, "People have been hunting for you Jason. The Alliance, the Turian Hierarchy, the Dalatrass, even the Asari Republic. Everyone wants more answers, you and Jane were the only ones to truly discover the truth behind the Reapers. And with Jane gone..."

Jason breathed out, "I couldn't tell them any more than what I already have, Anderson. They need to plan for the worst. They don't need me for that."

"I understand that son. Believe me I do. And with things the way they are I can't blame you for wanting to get away from it all. But you can't keep yourself out of the public eye forever. Someone's going to find out that you're out in the Terminus." said Anderson.

"You're right, but until the time in which I'm actually needed for the galaxy at large I think I'm going to be doing a few things on my own without politics breathing down my neck." the nano soldier admitted. "But that doesn't mean I'm turning my back on the people in Citadel Space. If anyone needs me, you'll know how to contact me and so will a handful of others."

Anderson nodded, "I understand, Jason. Good luck out there. Anderson out."

When the hologram faded Jason spun on his heel and headed for the elevator. Riding it down to the living area and heading to one of the personal quarters that he had already staked out as his own.

Stepping inside and sealing the door behind him, he looked at his new dwelling. It was a little bigger than his room on the _Normandy_ with a desk and terminal, a medium sized table in the center of the room with three chairs, a bed that was nothing more than a cot and dirty mattress and several shelves along the walls.

The only thing in there not covered in dust was the large crate against the far wall. Walking over to it, Jason cracked it open and looked up at his nano suit that was stashed inside.

Reaching into a compartment next to the suit, he pulled out four datapads that contained blue prints that he'd been working on in his free time in the last three months. One of them a blue print for a second version of his bow that was more advanced and better equipped for missions than the last.

Things had gone to hell pretty fast, and he knew that things were going to get worse before they got remotely better. And he needed to be ready for when it did get worse. But one thing Jason had learned from his time here was to be prepared for everything the could come your way.

Tossing the datapads on the table, the Post-Human sat on the edge of his bed and sighed deeply. His omni-tool flared to life as he went through the files on it and stopped at one in particular.

A holo was enlarged to the size of an 8 by 10 and he smiled. It was a holo of the last date he and Jane had together before the _Normandy_ went down. They were on the Presidium during the night cycle. Jane was wearing a green dress that matched her eyes, Jason was decked out in a white dress shirt and pants with said Commander in his arms bridal style. Both grinning at the camera with an aura of happiness around them.

It was a perfect date...one that they both cherished.

A tear fell down his face, followed soon by another. Jason couldn't stop them anymore, he had fought hard to keep his emotions down long enough for him to get to the here and now.

But at this moment everything came crashing down on him. He may have been strong willed and could shut his emotions down for the sake of the mission. But under all his strength, his cybernetics and his training...he was still Human. A Human suffering from the worst kind of wound imaginable.

A broken heart, and the guilt and regret for not saving the woman he loves.

 **X**

 **Undisclosed Location - Omega**

 **November 1, 2183 - 09:01 hours**

Liara reclined back in the couch she was seated on, her once common science outfit replaced with a suit of light armor that she knew would be helpful on this mission she had taken on herself.

In front of her, the green and orange skinned Drell she had met at Afterlife, Feron, paced back and forth, obviously worried about their current situation after having been saved from Blue Suns mercs my a group of Cerberus operatives.

"We shouldn't have come here, Liara." said Feron. "Us, least of all! Don't you know who these people are?"

"I know who they are, Feron." replied Liara, her biotics flared lightly as she molded a bit of the dark energy with her hand. "I learned all about Cerberus back when I was part of Shepard's crew, and I know what they stand for. But if they have information on what happened to the Commander and how we might be able to get her back, then it's worth the risk."

Feron shook his head, "It's crazy, suicidal, the two of us won't be able to do anything if they suddenly decide to turn on us."

The Asari smiled knowingly as she brought up her omni-tool. Tapping a couple of keys before quickly shutting it down again.

"...What was that?" asked the Drell.

"You're right, we won't be able to do this on our own without help." said Liara, "But I know someone who is more invested in Shepard than either of us combined."

The door at the front of the room opened and Miranda Lawson stepped out. "Our leader will see you now, Liara."

 **X**

 **A/N: I bet you didn't think I would be taking it this way did you? And with the mission Liara has taken on, you can bet that Jason will be a force to be reckoned with. Cerberus, The Shadow Broker, and Omega as a whole has no idea what is coming their way.**

 **Update coming soon folks!**


	50. II Chapter 3

**A/N: For those that haven't caught on yet, we are currently dipping into Dark Horse Comics territory. More precisely, the 'Redemption' storyline that I'm surprised that many writers have yet to capitalize on. And let me tell you, the mini-series comics for Mass Effect are definitely worth it.**

 **Unlike most of the story thus far that I have been reshaping more into my style from DFX's original, the chapters covering this arc are of my own creation. So sit back and enjoy the ride!**

 **X**

 **"The delay is unacceptable, Shadow Broker!"** a large, insectoid-like creature with four glowing yellow eyes stated with a deep, rumbling voice.

"And yet you will accept it." stated a synthesized voice from the other side of the room. "Unless you Collectors know of another source that has Shepard's body. Shepard will be brought to a location of my own choosing. The transaction will take place there and nowhere else. Other players have entered the game. I must protect my sources and methods."

 **"Quickly then. Succeed."** said the Collector General before its eyes faded and it went dormant.

"I always do." said the Shadow Broker to the now empty room, "I always do."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **MSV Vecta -**_ **Enroute to Omega**

 **November 1, 2183 - 20:55 hours**

In the small armory of their newly acquired vessel, Jason was doing a final check on his weaponry as Chellick piloted them to Omega.

Several hours ago, not long after he and the others had started setting up their new base on Enos, he'd gotten a message from Liara. It was brief, but it was more than enough to get him mobilized;

 _ **On Omega. Need Help.**_

Given what he knew, there was one reason and one reason only why the young Asari would be on Omega and asking for his aid...Jane's body.

When this information settled, a white-hot rage filled the nano soldier to his core. The Shadow Broker was in possession of Jane's body and was intending on trading her to the Collectors.

After his anger settled, he told Reena, Chellick and Thrax what was happening before he started going through their weapons and armor stash. He couldn't go to the pirate station in the nano suit, his Exodus from the Citadel was still too fresh and he couldn't risk any undercover Spectres spotting him. So for this he had to do things the old fashioned way.

Looking over the guns he had picked out, an Avenger assault rifle, a pair of Predator pistols and a Scimitar shotgun, Jason picked up the black and grey light-armor vest and slid it on over his black t-shirt. He also clipped on a belt over his digital-camo pants with magnetic rigs and pouches that he filled with ammo blocks and grenades.

Switching on the kinetic barrier built into the armor, the nano soldier picked up a black trench coat that had armor plates built into it for added protection and slipped it on as well before attaching his weapons into their proper places.

"SECOND, you there?" he asked, bringing up his omni-tool.

 **"Affirmative. Connection Established with local armor unit."** replied the AI.

Even though he wasn't wearing the nano suit, Jason was able to bring some of SECOND's programming with him through his omni-tool. The AI wasn't as powerful without the nano suit, but it still gave him an edge in combat or added tech support.

 _"Jason, we're approaching Omega now."_ Chellick reported over the ship's PA system. The nano soldier left the armory and made his way to the bridge.

His friends had been against the idea of him going alone, but it was something he had to do. He owed it to Jane for not warning her about the Collector attack like he knew he should have.

The Librarian be damned.

"You know that none of us were comfortable about this, right?" asked Chellick rhetorically when Jason came up behind him in the cockpit.

"I need to do this, Chellick." replied the nano soldier. "With or without the nano suit, it doesn't matter. I'm not letting Jane's remains get sold off like a goddamn trophy."

The former detective nodded, knowing that there was no way to talk the Post-Human out of it when the Commander was involved. Even in death, the woman had a powerful hold on him.

Pulling up to the massive station, the _Vecta_ docked at an available bay that wasn't too far from where Afterlife would be located. "You sure you don't want any backup?" asked Chellick.

"I'll be fine. Just make sure no one steals our ship." said Jason as he approached the airlock and stepped out into the familiar dark corridors that made up Omega's interior. His face becoming an emotionless mask as he headed toward the heart of the outlaw station.

X

Liara looked around at the many people coming and going from the Afterlife club at the heart of Omega. Still in a bit of shock after the conversation she had had with the head of Cerberus.

She knew that Shepard was important, but enough that the Shadow Broker was auctioning her remains off to the Collectors?

Very little was known about the mysterious race, only a select few had ever seen one in person. Whatever reason they would want the Commander's body was anything but good.

And then there was Cerberus. When the Illusive Man had told her that they had a means to bring her back to life she had been more than skeptical. Such things simply couldn't be done...but the more the man explained it to her, the more she started to believe that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance.

The Reapers were still coming, and only two people could help stop them. They needed Shepard...and they needed Jason.

"T'Soni." Feron's voice said, bringing her out of her thoughts as they approached Afterlife.

"This is where we started." said Liara as they entered the club.

The Drell rolled his black eyes, "Weren't you listening? I was supposed to lead you away."

"Is Shepard here?" asked the Asari.

"Not unless corpses can dance. No, we're here for Aria." said Feron, motioning across the club to a balcony that overlooked the entire floor. "Aria T'loak is one of your kind, and Asari. If anything's going down on this station, she knows about it."

Liara raised an eye-ridge questioningly, "Queen of Omega, huh? Some palace." she commented while looking around Afterlife and all the mercs, thugs and scantily clad women around them.

"Oh, I don't know Princess," A large hand reached out and grabbed Liara's arm. The limb belonging to a portly Batarian who lecherously leered up and down the Asari's form. "I can find a throne for you right here."

Flaring her biotics, Liara went to slam her fist against the four-eyed alien's head when a knife suddenly came out of nowhere and burrowed into the Batarian's top right eye. His hand immediately releasing her as he clutched his face and screaming in agony.

"Pretty sure she's not interested, asshole." Liara immediately recognized the voice and spun around to see Jason approaching them.

The Batarian growled, ripping the knife from his ruined eye and holding it tightly in his hand. "You bastard! I'll make you-"

The nano soldier drew a pistol faster than anyone was expecting and shot him in the kneecap. Dropping the alien to the floor and sending the knife clattering back toward its owner.

"Take my advice." said Jason as he picked up the blade and slipped it back into the scabbard on the shoulder of his chest armor. "Be careful who you go grabbing. Or you'll lose more than an eye." he drove his foot into the Batarian's face, knocking him out cold.

Turning to Liara, the nano soldier smiled, "Already making new friends? Should I be worried?"

The Asari smiled back and hugged him, "A lot's happened in the last couple of days. And I figured that if anyone would want to help find Shepard it would be you."

"T'Soni, you mind letting me in the know here?" asked Feron, his eyes locked firmly on the armed Human.

"Feron, this is Jason Harlow, he served on the _Normandy_ with Shepard and I." Liara introduced.

Jason regarded the Drell briefly before going back to his friend. "So what's the situation?"

Liara explained what was going on to the nano soldier, everything from her information on Jane's whereabouts to her meeting with Cerberus about the Shadow Broker and the Collectors. Jason knew about all this already, having heard about this particular part of the ME storyline. The problem was that he didn't have any details to go off of to find Jane faster.

"So I take it our next step is speaking with Aria, right?" he asked when Liara was done speaking.

"What makes you think you're coming along?" asked Feron with distrust.

Jason approached the Drell and got in his face, "Let me put it in a way a backstabbing informant like you will understand. I have a much bigger stake in finding Shepard than anyone would think, and if you believe for a second that I won't break every bone in your damn body to make that happen...well, your species' ability to remember things will haunt you for a while."

Liara quickly got between the two of them, "We need to work together. Jason, he's the only one with information that can help us. And Feron, I've seen Jason in action personally, believe me, he's an asset we'll need."

The two males glared at each other a moment longer before stepping away, both backing down...for now.

Making their way across the dance floor, the trio approached the stairs leading to Aria's space and was stopped by another Batarian. This one being one of the Queen's most trusted.

"Anto, we're here to see Aria." said Feron.

"She's busy. Too busy to deal with a snitch-for-hire like you." Anto grunted at the Drell.

"Uh-huh, I guess I'll have to fins another way to let her know about the business you and I usually do." Feron said with a knowing smirk. "But then, she probably wouldn't mind knowing someone on her payroll's been selling info on who she sees and when. Would she?"

Anto sneered, obviously weighing his options _very_ carefully before caving in and leading them up the stairs.

Even though Jason didn't fully trust the Drell, he had to admit the guy had style.

When they reached Aria's domain, she turned to them radiating her usual aura of malevolence that would forever mark her as Omega's undisputed Queen.

"Your friends are better looking than your usual company, Feron." Aria purred in the dark tone Jason remembered from years ago. "Which means they can't be your friends. I especially like how this one here dealt with the _gentleman_ downstairs." she added while looking at the nano soldier. "But you must leave poor Anto alone. So many years and he still hasn't learned that _nothing_ is secret from me. And certainly not in my own establishment. He's lucky I'm fond of him, it's a good survival trait."

The Batarian swallowed thickly, looking nervous as the powerful Asari set her gaze on him for a moment. "It isn't often that the Shadow Broker sends his minions to me for help. Something big and juicy, I'm betting." Aria continued, "Anto, some privacy please."

"I'll handle this. Both of you just keep quiet." Feron whispered to Liara and Jason as the guards left the room. "Just checking on some merchandise, Aria." he said to the older Asari, "The body of Commander Shepard. I know the Blue Suns are set to deliver it to the Shadow Broker. I need to know where."

Aria raised an eye ridge, "You don't? I knew the broker liked secrecy, but for his own man not to know what he's up to?" she said before coming down the steps and approaching the other two. "And I know you two. You both were on Shepard's crew. Were you able to speak when she was alive?"

Jason clenched his fist, keeping his face as passive as possible while reigning in his emotions. Liara saw this out of the corner of her eye and looked concerned as Aria stepped away from them.

"The Shadow Broker is powerful, but Omega is mine. I know everything that happens here. I _do_ know about the transfer, but I need something in return, Feron. Why is the Shadow Broker so interested in Shepard?"

"I...I don't know. That's what we're trying to find out." said Feron, knowing that they were now in a tight spot.

The Asari centered a piercing stare on the Drell, "Bullshit. Of course you know, and if you want to find Shepard, you'll tell me."

"The Shadow Broker is selling the Commander to the Collectors. They're the ones that want her body." said Jason, they were wasting time and needed to get moving before they were too late to stop the Blue Suns.

"THE COLLECTORS?!" Aria bellowed in shock, her usual persona overshadowed by anxiety and a small sliver of fear. "No one said anything about the Collectors!"

"I thought you knew everything that happened in your domain?" asked Liara with a hint of condescending in her tone.

"Out of here, all of you!" Aria shouted as her men came storming back into the room with guns drawn. "Anto, get them out of here and get them out now!"

Jason spun on his heel, his omni-blade snapping into existence as he sliced a Turian guard's rifle in half before delivering a hard roundhouse kick to his chest, sending him crashing against a nearby wall. The other guards aimed their weapons at him, but found themselves frozen in a stasis field by Liara.

"We told you what you want to know, now tell us where she is!" the nano soldier demanded, omni-blade still out with a pistol in his other hand.

Aria leered dangerously at him, her own biotics flaring in preparation to crush them beneath her power...until she looked into Jason's eyes.

She had seen all kinds of people in her life, even before her time as ruler of Omega. People looking for revenge, for truth, for countless other things, people always wanted more, and they always came to her. Knowledge was power, and Aria had it in spades.

But this Human, she could see that this wasn't a quest for vengeance for him. She had seen this look many times in the past, but never with such drive and determination.

Redemption. For what she couldn't really tell, but with how adamant he was about locating Shepard's remains it went much deeper than simply that of friends and allies. Deep enough to defy and threaten HER of all people on her own station. He was either very brave...or very foolish.

Powering down her biotics, Aria crossed her arms and glared out over the club. None of the patrons having heard the altercation given the loud music.

"Omega's lower levels, the old mining processing plant. The Blue Suns are taking her there. This meeting is over."

Jason deactivated and holstered his weapons and Liara released her biotics as they followed Feron out of the room. The nano solider pausing at the door as he fished out an OSD from his coat. "Aria." he said, tossing the drive to one of the guards who caught it. "From a mutual friend. He said it's something you would be interested in."

With that he left with the others. Aria took the disk from her guard and looked it over with sharp eyes. A quick scan of her omni-tool over it had those same eyes widening when she saw what was on it...

X

Unlike the Citadel, Omega had been continuously rebuilt over countless generations. The station having literally eaten the asteroid it was built into. The metals that made up its bulk becoming large towers, docking bays and homes for the thousands that called the place home.

But deep within the core of the asteroid, the mining levels were still there. Many of them still active after all this time as more deposits were plundered. The hanger bays linking to them making it easier for people to come and go outside compared to traversing the massive labyrinth within.

This was also convenient for smugglers and mercenaries hoping to trade and collect their wares without drawing too much attention. And that is where Jason, Feron and Liara found themselves.

On a dark balcony overlooking the expansive floor below covered in crates and machinery, they looked on as over a dozen Blue Suns moved about. "That's them alright." said the Drell quietly. "Looks like we even got here first. Smooth and easy. Didn't I tell you Aria knows her station?"

"She seems to know the popular places, anyway." replied Liara, she turned her attention to Jason who had his own centered on one point on the floor below them.

Between two heavily armed Turian mercs was a long, casket-like crate with a single window on the top. Jane's body was in there...these bastards desecrated her resting place and was selling her to the Shadow Broker.

None of them were leaving this hanger alive, not if he had anything to say about it.

"Jason?" the nano soldier blinked and looked at Liara who watched him with concern. "We'll get her out of here. I promise."

Nodding once, Jason went back to looking over the hanger and keeping track of their opposition. A few minutes passed before all attention was brought to a long, oblong ship that entered through the bay and landed on the floor. "Someone's here." he said, Feron and Liara coming up beside him after the ship landed.

"Shit! Did I say easy? Forget that." Feron cursed, now tense when the ramp of the ship lowered an a Salarian stepped out.

But this one was different. Unlike almost every Salarian Jason had encountered in the past, this one was as tall as a Krogan and had three times as much muscle as the rest of his species, wearing a suit of black and red armor and hefting a grenade launcher

His skin was a dark-green and had dull-blue eyes. His face etched into a permanent sneer as he looked over the mercs gathered around him.

"Heh, they grow 'em large in your neighborhood, don't they?" said the Krogan merc leading the Suns.

"And they grow them stupid in yours." the Salarian grunted back, "Where is it?"

"The Broker would send him to make the pickup, this just keeps getting better and better." said Feron tensely.

"What's the matter? who is that?" asked Liara. Jason remaining silent as he kept an eye on the Salarian.

"That's Tazzik. He's the Broker's one and only hit man. For the rare times when he wants something, or someone, taken care of. The mercs are just hired muscle. Taz, he calls for results. Results he almost always gets." explained the Drell.

Tazzik and the Krogan approached the casket where the hit man scanned it with his omni-tool, "Identification looks right. Is this everything you found?"

"Yep, surprised there was that much, Human bodies must be able to take some real punishment." replied the Krogan.

"I've known a few that couldn't." Tazzik sneered, fishing out a large credit chit and tossing it to the merc. "Your credits are here. If this isn't legit, I'll be back for them, and _you_ go in the box!"

Liara stood, "They're getting ready to leave." Jason taking out his assault rifle when Feron stopped them.

"Wait, it's too risky! There's got to be another way!"

"We've each crossed the galaxy from different corners for this, and I sure as hell am not going to sit back and give you a chance to switch back to the Broker's team." the nano soldier snapped with a clear threat.

Feron held up his hands, "Relax, if we go jumping down there Tazzik and those mercs will take us apart." the Drell motioned to the other side of the hanger where a large defense turret was set up. "I think that old defense gun over there is still functional. One shot will disable Tazzik's ship before they go anywhere."

Liara looked from the gun to Jason and then to Feron, "Fine, do it. Jason and I will get closer." The trio separated and went about their tasks. The Asari and nano soldier sticking to the shadows as they crept down to the hanger floor.

"I don't trust him." Jason whispered, his AR held firm as he made sure to check their surroundings.

"Neither do I, but he's the only chance we have to get Shepard and get out of here." replied Liara before voicing a question that had been on her mind. "Why did you come without your nano suit?"

"The shit that went down with the Council was only a few days ago. I didn't want to run the risk of getting spotted by anyone who would report back to them." answered the Post-Human. "Besides, it gives me a chance to operate with my own skills."

They reached the main floor and ducked down behind a stack of crates as a couple of Blue Suns mercs began moving the casket.

"No, put it down!" Tazzik ordered.

"What's the problem? It's not like Shepard's gonna get _more_ damaged." the Krogan quipped. Jason gnashed his teeth, wanting nothing more than put a bullet between the large alien's eyes.

The Salarian hit man didn't look amused, "No, but YOU might! I'll take things from here. I've got someplace to be. Let's get this going before something goes-"

A large explosion ripped through the hanger, several crates on the other side of Tazzik's ship being blown apart and sending flaming debris flying everywhere. All eyes centering on the lone Drell standing beside the old defense cannon nearby.

"...shit." Feron muttered.

"Open fire! Get him!" the mercs all fired on the Drell. Tazzik raised his grenade launcher and lobbed several explosive rounds that caused the gun to explode, sending Feron diving for cover.

"Get the body in the ship, NOW!" Tazzik bellowed as he kept firing his launcher. Gunfire from another side of the hanger, two Blue Suns dropping to the ground with holes riddling their frames. "Now what?"

Liara sprang from her cover, her biotics blazing as she slammed into the Krogan mercenary and sent him crashing into a nearby crate. Jason right behind her spraying rounds toward the other mercs in the area.

"Nobody move! That cargo is ours!" the Asari shouted, firing a singularity into a group of Blue Suns and sending them flying within the gravity well where the nano soldier gunned them down.

The hit man growled, seeing his so called 'hired help' getting decimated around him. "This is why I work alone." he muttered to himself. Raising his launcher, he targeted the duo who were being surrounded by the mercs. "Fuck'em."

Jason spun around and saw the threat and quickly tackled Liara to the floor, "COVER!" The sound of the grenade launcher firing several shots was quickly swallowed by the explosions that followed. Fires ignited around the whole hanger debris scattering in all directions while the mercs who didn't get a chance to get out of the way were blown apart and lost in the carnage.

Doing his best to shake off the ringing in his ears, Jason staggered to his feet and searched through the blaze around him for any sign of Tazzik or Jane's body. He was greeted with the sight of the Salarian's ship rising into the air and making its getaway.

"NO! DAMMIT!" the nano soldier shouted, running after the ship with his omni-tool flaring to life before throwing his hand out toward it. A tracking beacon firing from the device and attaching to the underside of the vessel just as it left the hanger.

Jason skidded to a stop, his rifle held loosely in his hand as he watched Tazzik take off and leave Omega.

"Chellick! I need you at my location now!" the Post-Human shouted into his omni-tool. Turning around and seeing Feron stumbling toward him, a red haze tinted his vision as he crossed the distance between them and punched the Drell hard and sent him crashing to the ground.

"You MOTHERFUCKER!" Jason raged, grabbing Feron by his armor and dragging him back to his feet where he slugged him again, "I knew we couldn't trust you! You fucking tipped them off and that asshole took off with Jane!"

Feron spat out a bit of blood and shuffled back from the angry nano soldier, only to be frozen in stasis by an equally pissed off Liara. "I didn't do that on purpose! Look we can still go after Taz, my ship is nearby, we can-" he froze when Jason pulled one of his pistols and aimed it at the informant's head.

"We aren't doing shit until you tell us where he's going." the nano soldier demanded.

The Drell shook his head, "Where Taz is heading, you won't be able to get there without my help."

"But you _do_ know where they're going, right?" asked Liara pointedly

"He'll be heading to the Shadow Broker's closest base through the Omega-2 relay. The Broker only has one base on the other end and it's on Alingon in the Faryar System." said Feron. "I get you don't trust me, but I don't want Shepard's body in the Collector's hands anymore than you do. You have to believe me on that. Neither of you will make it live without me being your guide and all of this will be for nothing."

Jason glared at the Drell for several long seconds before lowering his weapon. Liara calling back her biotics and releasing her captive from stasis. "This is your one and only chance." the nano soldier said grimly. "You fuck us over again, or I find out you're leading us into a trap. I'll kill you in ways that'll have even Aria taking notes."

Feron stood and nodded as the _Vecta_ entered the hanger, the three of them quickly boarding to see Chellick regarding them from the pilot seat.

"What the hell happened out there?" he asked, seeing the state they were in.

"Later. A ship just left the station and is heading for the relay, after it!" Jason said as he jumped into the co-pilot spot and punched in the coordinates for the planet Alingon.

The former detective pulled the ship out of the hanger and headed in the direction Tazzik had gone. Intending on capturing the hit man and reacquiring Jane's body before she could fall into the Collector's hands.

 **X**

 **A/N: Never stand between a man and his woman, no matter who you are.**

 **In the games Feron had little when it came to a backstory, and the comics cleared that all up quite a bit when he and Liara first meet. And with Jason thrown into the mix, even without his nano suit, the Shadow Broker and his flunkies have no idea what is coming their way. A lot more caskets are about to be filled.**

 **I'm already hard at work with the next update, until then keep reading folks!**


	51. II Chapter 4

**A/N: Welcome back, the Redemption arc of the ME timeline ends here, and with it the preparation for things to come.**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **MSV Vecta -**_ **Faryar System**

 **November 2, 2183 - 01:43 hours**

At the edge of the Faryar system, the mass relay lit up brightly just as the _Vecta_ appeared along side it.

"We're in the Faryar system," said Chellick before turning to the co-pilot seat where Jason was stationed. "Perhaps now would be a good time to explain what happened back at Omega."

"One of the Shadow Broker's top men managed to make off with Jane's remains. The bastard has a base out here on the planet Alingon, or so says our new friend back there." replied the nano soldier, sending a small glare back toward Feron who was leaning against a terminal a couple meters away.

Chellick followed his gaze, "Don't trust him?" he asked rhetorically.

"He works for the Shadow Broker, double, maybe even a triple agent. If it weren't for the fact that we need him to track down where they've taken Jane, I'd throw him out the airlock without a second thought." said Jason as he went back to the terminal in front of him.

The tracking beacon he had stuck to Tazzik's ship was still operating and had come to a stop. "Alingon is coming up. If we're lucky the haven't taken noti-"

The ship shook when something struck it. "What happened? Did we hit something? Is Taz firing at us?" asked Liara in a slight panic.

"It's not Taz, we got company!" said Chellick as he saw three hostiles came out of nowhere firing on them.

"It's the Shadow Broker's sentries!" said Feron as joined them in the cockpit, "The Broker doesn't like unannounced arrivals, not even from his own people."

"No kidding!" said the Turian as another blast from the enemy ships hit the _Vecta_ 's hull. "We got no weapons to fight, ideas?"

"Head into the asteroid field!" the Drell said, pointing ahead. "I know my way around this system, it's full of mined-out asteroids, we can lose them there."

Chellick followed Feron's instructions and took off full throttle into the largest asteroid, weaving in and around the hollowed out space rock while their pursuers followed and kept firing on them. The sentries managing to keep pace, but was unable to maneuver like the Turian was able to and ended up crashing and exploding at various points.

When the _Vecta_ came out the other side of the asteroid, the only thing following them was flames and debris.

"That was cutting it a bit close." said Chellick.

"Trust me, it doesn't get any better the closer we get." said Feron as they got closer to the Broker's hidden base.

X

Very few worlds in the Hourglass Nebula are as hostile to travelers as the planet Alingon.

It's frozen surface hides a rapidly rotating molten core, causing the whole plant to reside in a massive electro-magnetic shroud. This anomaly interrupts sensors on most ships making it easy for pirates to avoid detection after they enter the magnetosphere. Even off-world communications are disrupted, making it impossible for anyone without more sophisticated technology.

As a result, the planet is a favorite destination for those who don't want to be found. However, that is also a problem. Because as Alingon is able to hide those that don't want to be found, it can also hide those who want to find them.

From a high ridge, Jason, Liara and Feron looked down at the outpost set up at the base of the canyon. The trio donning helmets with darkened visors given the planet's lake of breathable oxygen.

Chellick had dropped them off before setting the Vecta down several clicks away to avoid unwanted attention. Telling the team to send him a signal to come and pick them up when they were ready.

The problem was, given the natural electro-magnetic field around the planet, it would prove difficult.

"I'm still not getting a signal. I'm not sure the Shadow Broker chose the right real estate for a command center." said Liara after checking her omni-tool again.

"You'd be wrong." said Feron, "The Shadow Broker's got a system that can reliably cut through this, but he's the only one who's got it. It forces his hirelings to come to Alingon in person for orders. And to make any calls they need to make on his behalf off-world. It's another layer of protection, nothing to trace."

"Explains why those sentries attacked us." said Jason as they started climbing down the cliff. "We weren't on the list of arrivals."

"That's ridiculous." commented Liara as she lowered herself down to another ledge. "He's got so much secrecy his people are stumbling over themselves."

The nano soldier chuckled, "The guy's secrets probably have secrets. He wouldn't be the biggest information broker in the galaxy if he didn't keep everything close to the chest."

"It'll also help us get inside." said Feron as they reached the bottom of the ridge and looked toward the door leading into the facility.

X

Inside the outpost, a pair of Turian guards stood by the side entrance.

"I don't think I can keep doing this. There's no outside to this place." said one of the guards.

The other Turian rolled his eyes, "Quit your bitching. We do what we're told."

"Morning gentlemen," both guards spun toward the door, weapons raised when they saw a Drell approaching them with a Human in a long black coat, a handgun pressed to the head of an Asari. "I've got a delivery, someone the Broker wants to see."

"Hey, Feron. Good to see you." said one of the guards as they lowered their weapons. "But you're not on our list for today."

" _Your_ list, no. And since when does the Broker tell you everything that's on _his_ list." Feron replied.

The Turian put his weapon down and took out a datapad, "No, but we're supposed to know everyone who's coming, the list-"

"The list, the list!" Feron interrupted, leaving his 'captive' under the watch of the Human as he slung his arm over the first's shoulder, "If your list was _his_ list, you'd be the Broker. Are you the Broker, Delwian?"

"No, of course not. But-"

"Didn't think so. How about you, Joppa? Are _you_ the Broker?" asked Feron.

"Heh, naw. What business are you running, Feron?" asked Joppa.

The Drell grinned, "Well, it obviously involves shapely Asari escorts, maybe I can find another one for you on my next run, eh?" he asked, bumping his elbow into the Turian's ribs. After a few more words were exchanged, the two Turians opened the door allowing the trio though. "Good to see you guys." Feron called out over his shoulder as the entrance sealed behind them.

"For a secret facility, the Broker needs to reconsider his hiring methods for his security." Jason said lowly as they began making their way through the corridors of the outpost.

"He certainly takes the 'Shadow' portion of his title too seriously." added Liara as she looked around at the personnel working around them. Or, more precisely, lake there of. "Where are all the people? Does the Broker really keep only a handful of people to run operations here?"

"There aren't many. This place is only used for special business the Broker needs to conduct. Shepard qualifies." replied the Drell.

Jason sent him a sharp look, as did Liara. "I'd watch it with how you keep referring to Jane as merchandise." the nano soldier said darkly.

"I'm not sure she's caring much at the moment, but I get you." replied Feron in understanding. "Look!" he suddenly said, causing them to stop in time to see a Volus coming out of a door way with a Collector beside him.

"...And the package has arrived on the north dock. _Click_. I assure you, it is just as described." explained the smaller alien.

 **"It had better better be. But you know that we do not tolerate dishonesty, or delay."** the Collector spoke in a deep baritone that Jason instantly recognized as Harbinger. The nano soldier felt his rage building, but managed to keep it sealed for the sake of keeping their cover.

"How can anyone work with the Collectors?" questioned Liara as the hid behind a pillar.

"I don't know, I always trusted the Shadow Broker before. He seemed neutral in all things, but this?" said Feron.

"He knows something." said Jason, garnering the attention of the other two. "Think about it. Everyone looks at the Collectors like intergalactic boogeymen, why would someone as well known and infamous as the Shadow Broker suddenly want to make a deal with them?"

Feron thought about the Pot-Human's words a moment and nodded, "We need to find out more about why they're doing this deal. I know where they're headed, it'll take a while for them to repressurize the landing bay, so we have time. And if there's ones thing I know about gathering information...you go to the source."

The Drell led them through several corridors before entering a long room filled with monitors that led to a raised platform where a pedestal covered in lights was centered on a figure standing there with their arms behind their back.

"Reporting in for work, Feron?" a synthesized voice echoed from the figure. "People only come to see the Shadow Broker when called, trader. I _didn't_ call."

"Is he for real?" asked Liara as they stepped closer.

"This is how he addresses everyone who comes here. I've never been this close before." replied the Drell.

"I'm waiting for an answer, Feron." the Shadow Broker demanded. "Since when did you think you can come here uninvited?"

"Since you started working with the Collectors." said Jason as they stood before him. "Making a deal to give them Commander Shepard's body was another big one."

"Scruples? Interesting. I see sending the Blue Suns after you and T'Soni was a wise precaution, Feron. But it would seem you've garnered aid elsewhere. You're supposed to be a business man. Even you should understand when I say their offer was too good to pass up." said the Broker.

Liara stepped forward next, "I don't understand! I don't understand anyone selling my friend's remains! What could they have offered you that would be worth doing that?!"

"The compensation is my business, Doctor T'Soni. But it was significant enough." answered the Shadow Broker. "Yes, I know who you are, just as I know Jason Harlow. I personally have nothing against Shepard or her friends. It is just sound business."

While they were speaking, Feron slipped away and started going through one of the nearby terminals. Gathering as much intel as he could.

"You don't know who you're messing with." said Jason. "None of us are going to just stand by while you desecrate everything she fought and died for! Did you ever stop and think that maybe the Collectors were the ones that killed her?! That they might have something to do with the Reaper threat we had stopped?! Is it worth getting into the same bed as those bug-fuckers?!"

The Broker was silent a moment. "You make too much of this, Harlow. It is just a corpse, nothing more. What could the Collectors possibly gain from a corpse?"

"I'd be willing to give them another corpse to have...if you were actually here." Jason said, stepping right in front of the Broker only to reveal it to be a Humanoid-shaped machine projecting his voice. "Why don't you stop hiding and face us for real?"

"I'm where I need to be, Harlow." replied the Shadow Broker in the same monotone while the avatar projecting his voice sparked and flickered, "The deal is done. Tazzik is about to make the exchange. Product for payment. Right now, the only people who aren't where they need to be are the three of you. This room connects me to my permanent staff there on Alingon. As soon as I give the word, they'll come. And any information you may be harboring, they will get it out of you. It's not my ususal way to get information, but it's effective."

"I got it! Let loose you two!" Feron called out while holding up an OSD in his hand.

Jason drew his shotgun and fired multiple times into the mechanical avatar, blowing it to pieces with each pull of the trigger. Liara's biotics blazed to life, the energy lashing around violently around the terminal room like a tornado and destroying everything around them.

The nano soldier turned his attention to any remaining terminals that were still active and blasted them too. All of the equipment being reduced to useless salvage in seconds with the duo's combined efforts.

"That...was satisfying." said Liara, taking a deep breath.

"He won't be ordering anyone from this room anymore. And I downloaded a lot about the Broker's dealings." said Feron as they regrouped.

"Did you get what they needed about the trade with the Collectors?" asked Jason.

The Drell nodded, "They just arrived at the north portal. We can get there and shut the deal down and reacquire Shepard."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" exclaimed Liara in elation.

Feron suddenly turned serious, "We will...but first, while we still have the chance, I'd better tell you both who I'm _really_ working for..."

Before he could say anything further, the doors leading into the room opened and a squad of guards stormed inside with weapons ready. They barely made it a couple of steps when Jason brought up his omni-tool and hit a switch on it.

On either side of the door, a handful of tech-mines that he had planted when they had first entered activated one second before they all exploded. The guards were caught unaware as they were sent flying.

Liara powered up he biotics and threw a powerful shockwave that finished the group off before the survivors could regroup.

"Feel better now, you two?" asked Feron. "I could always find a couple of Krogan for you to-"

A gunshot went off and the Drell fell to the ground with a shout of pain, clutching the mew bullet hole in his leg.

Jason lowered his pistol and stalked toward him, picking up the OSD that he had made while aiming his weapon at the informant's head. "You work for Cerberus...don't you?" he asked, already knowing the answer. Liara looked at him in shock before going back to Feron, waiting for him to explain.

Holding his leg, dark eyes looking past the barrel of the gun aimed at him to the one holding it, Feron nodded. "Y-Yes...I'm a triple agent sent by Cerberus to collect data from the Shadow Broker. It wasn't always like that though, I worked for myself until the Shadow Broker came along..."

He went on to explain how he had become one of the Shadow Broker's trusted leading up tot he point when he learned about the deal with the Collectors where he felt sickened at what they wanted with the Commander's remains. It was then he was contacted by Cerberus who wanted to stop the deal. This was what led him to Liara who was looking for Shepard on Omega, she became his ticket back into the Broker's good graces by distracting them while the deal went on before going after Shepard himself on behalf of Cerberus.

"I wasn't supposed to yell you I was working for Cerberus. Even Miranda doesn't know. It's safer that way." the Drell finished his explanation before looking toward Jason, "You were right, I did let Tazzik get away. I wanted to get here and confirm the deal was with the Collectors. And I wanted one last chance to download whatever I could about his dealings."

The nano soldier looked at the OSD he'd picked up. "I'm probably done as an info trader." Feron continued, "The Shadow Broker will make sure no one will ever trust me again. But I'm sorry that neither of you could trust me. But maybe those files will change things. No matter what happens, get that back to Cerberus along with Shepard."

Liara and Jason looked to one another, silently debating on their next move before coming to a decision. The Post-Human crouched beside the downed Drell and applied medi-gel to his wound. "Actions speak louder than words, Feron. You want to redeem yourself? Then help us get this mission done."

Feron got to his feet and nodded seriously before they headed out.

X

 **"Good, good."** said a Collector soldier as they looked over Shepard's remains closely. **"The product is exactly what is required. The Shadow Broker has done well."**

"It was Tazzik here who took care of the last leg." said the Volus while motioning to to the Salarian hit man.

Tazzik snorted, "You don't need to take inventory. Everything that's Shepard is there. Tough to recognize, I know. Hard to tell if it's a man or a woman anymore, blown to hell like that. But it's what you wanted. And it's all yours as soon as the Shadow Broker receives his payment."

Behind a stack of crates, Jason, Liara and Feron looked out into the landing bay where their enemies were all gathered around the open casket.

"This is it. You two know what to do." said the Drell. "The body and the data. No matter what happens get them both out of here."

"We know what to do. We just hope _you_ do. We've been in this situation before." replied Liara, bringing up what had happened back at Omega. "You're not going to 'accidentally' let Taz get away again, are you?"

Feron smirked, "Not a chance. You two stay put, I think I still have one last play left in me."

"What are you-" Jason couldn't finish as the informant got up and ran out into the open. "What the fuck is he doing?!"

"Taz! You old Salarian son of a bitch! I thought that was you!" the Drell called out.

Tazzik and the guards on duty addressed the new arrival." Huh, it's you. I thought I saw you skulking around back on Omega. The boss have you tailing me for a reason?" asked the hit man.

"A pretty good reason, I'd say." replied Feron as the Collector sealed the casket again. "There's a problem with the payment. The Broker's not happy with the arrangement."

 **"There is no problem with the arrangement."** said the Collector while picking up the Commander's body. **"Half now, half when we have confirmed Shepard's identity ourselves."**

"The Broker doesn't have time to wait while you screw around playing coroner. He wants all the money now. Or no Shepard. Try to find another, maybe someone will sell you a kit." said the Drell.

Tazzik walked up and leered at Feron, "We haven't heard anything from the Broker about this What are you trying to pull?"

"Nothing. You may have noticed internal communications are down. The Broker sent me with this order in person." Feron lied smoothly, "Shepard goes back into your hold until further notice. You wouldn't want to disappoint the Broker, would you? He may not be able to talk to you, but he's always watching." he motioned to a nearby camera for emphasis.

"Screw this shit. Back aboard the ship boys until we sort this out." Tazzik ordered.

 **"This is unacceptable!"** the Collector roared, before going quiet and slumping over. But it was ignored as the guards on duty took the casket and began loading it back onto Tazzik's ship.

X

 **"This is betrayal!"** the Collector General raged at another avatar for the Shadow Broker. A large pair of pale-grey wings extended from its back that flapped wildly in fury. **"I told you what I saw, Shadow Broker! Why did you send the Drell to terminate the transaction?!"**

"Feron! He definitely does not speak for me! He's a traitor!" the Broker said back, "Working with that Asari and Alliance contractor to steal Shepard. They destroyed my link to Alingon, so I can't tell Taz otherwise!"

The General withdrew its wings, **"Our communications cannot be stopped so easily. You pretend to be everywhere at once, I already am."**

X

"We're not going anywhere, not until we're sure what's going on." said the hit man, looking toward the insectoid alien as it started mumbling something to itself. "What's wrong with that thing?"

The Collector suddenlt snapped up and pointed a clawed finger at Feron, **"The Shadow Broker says Feron is the traitor!"**

Tazzik and all the guards had their weapons trained on the Drell. "Whoa! Come on, Taz! Who are you gonna believe? Me or that thing? How could the Broker tell it anything?"

"How did it know your name was Feron?" asked the hit man sharply, pressing a sidearm deep into the side of Feron's head.

The Drell smirked, "You're smarter than you look. But you don't know the half of it. NOW!"

A blast of biotic power sent the Shadow Broker's men flying. Liara and Jason came out of cover guns blazing, taking down everything in their path as they made a b-line for Jane's body. The nano soldier emptying his assault rifle into the Collector drone and putting it down hard to be sure it didn't interfere.

Liara used her biotics to get the casket back onto Tazzik's ship and called out, "Feron! Come on, let's go!"

She saw the Drell and gasped as she watched him getting pummeled by Tazzik. "Get out of here! GO! Save Shepard!" he shouted when the hit man punched him hard enough to shatter his nose.

Jason killed two more guards, sending a final glance at Feron before running up the ramp and bringing Liara with him. Jumping into the pilot seat and sealing the ramp before taking off.

"Chellick we're on the ship taking off! Meet us by the relay!" he said through the comms as he flew toward the atmosphere.

When they were clear of Alingon, he took an easy breath knowing that they had succeeded. They got Jane's body back and flipped the finger at both the Shadow Broker and the Collectors...but at a price.

Taking out the OSD Feron had given to them, Jason couldn't help but feel bad for the Drell. Even though he had betrayed him and Liara several times, he still sacrificed himself so that they could escape with the Commander. He had redeemed himself and then some for his final brave act.

And he sure as hell didn't deserve what the Shadow Broker and his goons might have planned for him for turning traitor.

"We did it." said Liara as she came up behind him.

"We did it." the Post-Human agreed, seeing the _Vecta_ come up along side them as they approached the relay. He handed the OSD to the Asari before punching in the coordinates for the return trip to the Omega System and standing. Liara taking his place at the helm as he made his way into the small cargo hold where the casket sat in the center.

Approaching it, Jason placed his hand on the metal surface and closed his eyes. It was the first time he had been anywhere near close to Jane since the _Normandy_ went down.

"Jane..." he said in almost a whisper, his chest and throat constricting with emotion, "I...I can't even begin how to tell you how sorry I am. I should have done more, I could have saved you if I had just..." the nano soldier trailed off, warm tears sliding down his face. "I was a fool, keeping so much to myself when I knew what was coming. Because of my own fucking hubris...I lost you, and won't be able to see you again for another two years. Two years we could have spent together, preparing for the Reapers and being with each other."

Jason slid to his knees and placed his forehead against the casket, "I'm...I'm so sorry, Jane. I failed to protect you, but that will NEVER happen again. I swear it on everything in my body that I won't ever let you down, and when I can finally hold you again I'll never let you go. I'll do whatever it takes to make sure we're ready to face whatever comes our way...no matter what."

Standing again, the Post-Human kissed his hand before placing it on the casket while the other held the Commander's dogtags that were always around his neck. "I love you, Jane. I always will. And I'll prove it to you every Humanly way possible when we're together again. For now...two years can't pass soon enough."

He stood in silence beside his lover's remains. Simply being close to her however he could before she was to be handed over to Cerberus. The guilt of not stopping her death was still heavy on him...

But he felt as if a small part of his soul was just a bit lighter.

X

 **Cerberus Station - Undisclosed Location**

 **November 1, 2183 - 22:31 hours**

"You did well, Liara. We were right to put faith into you." Miranda Lawson said to the Asari standing beside her as they both stood at a viewing window that overlooked the surgical theater. "Shepard obviously made some very good friends. I just wish I had better news for you."

Below them, a large array of medical equipment and personnel were working tirelessly on the body laid out before them. "We may not be able to restore Shepard after all. The body is in worse shape than we expected. There were some preservation systems in the pod, but they were hardly optimal." the operative went on.

"If things were different, I would have preferred to let her rest in peace." the Asari admitted. "This isn't what I wanted for Shepard, this is almost like..." she trailed off.

"What the Collectors would have done?" Miranda added for her. "We don't know what they would have done, Liara. Though, hopefully the information you brought back may suggest something. And it might not be as bad as you think. The Illusive Man is more hopeful about Shepard's prospects, we're willing to spend everything we have. But it will still take a very long time, if it works at all. I wouldn't sit around waiting."

She turned to leave when Liara spoke up again, "What will he do about Feron?"

"The Drell knew the risks when he offered to help. We won't be going after him. If _you_ want to, that's your business." Miranda answered bluntly. "But I'd focus on something else if I were you. Do something _you_ want to do."

"That's exactly what I am going to do, Miranda." Liara said with conviction. "I've got friends and allies out there counting on me...and I've also made a new enemy."

X

 **Hidden Shadow Broker Base - Undisclosed Location**

 **November 3, 2183 - 13:51 hours**

Feron sat in his small cell, seated on the cold floor with his back to the wall. His left eye swollen shut with dried blood caked in the corner of his mouth and the side of his head.

He knew what fate waited for him at the hands of the Shadow Broker and his minions, he'd be lucky to be killed after being tortured to near death. But if he were honest with himself, he didn't regret a single thing.

He stopped the Broker, stopped the Collectors from getting their hands on the late Commander Shepard. It was all worth it in the end.

Leaning his head back against the wall, the Drell closed his eyes and smiled despite the pain he was in.

Those same eyes snapped open when he heard the rattling of gunfire and explosions echoing from somewhere else in the facility. His gaze going to the door as the sounds got louder along with people shouting just outside.

The entrance to the cell suddenly opened, light spilling in from outside making Feron shield his eyes as a pair of shapes entered the room.

"You Feron?" a deep voice rumbled, belonging to an old Krogan with a missing eye.

"Yeah...who are you guys?" asked the Drell as a familiar Turian came up to him and helped him to his feet.

"We're the guys coming to save your ass." said Chellick, slinging one of Feron's arms over his shoulder and helping him out of the room and into the corridor outside where the bodies of the guards on duty laid scattered everywhere. They made their way through the facility seeing more signs of combat and even a couple small fires burning.

When they reached the command center, Feron was greeted with Tazzik, battered and bloody on his knees with someone in black and silver armor standing over him.

"You won't...get away with this!" the hit man grunted, coughing up blood, "The Shadow Broker...will fucking find you...and end you!"

The figure raised his sidearm and pressed it between Tazzik's eyes. "He's more than welcome to try." the gun discharged, blowing the Salarian's brains out the back of his head while his body collapsed to the floor.

Holstering the weapon, the armored man turned to the three that had just entered the room. Red visor meeting surprised black eyes.

"Who...Who are you?" asked Feron.

"Maverick." replied the stranger, "But you know me by another name." he reached up and pulled off the helmet, causing the Drell's mouth to drop when he saw Jason smirking back at him.

"Seeing that you're out of a job at the moment, I figured I'd make you an offer."

Feron chuckled, "Busting me out of here is one hell of an incentive, what did you have in mind?"

The nano soldier put his helmet back on, "First, let's get you the hell out of this place. After that, we got a lot of work to do."

 **X**

 **A/N: Looks like the Shadow Broker has more to be worried about than he first realized. And with Jason gaining another ally in his crusade, then a lot of things are about to be shaken up in the years leading up to Shepard's resurrection.**

 **I'm still just getting started folks, much more to come!**


	52. II Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm far from done here folks, it's timeskip time! And since it has been a while since one has happened, I think it is only fair that some good old fashioned bloodshed would help bring it together.**

 **But it will also be so much more than that, more events are about to be set in motion that will alter the events of ME2 in major ways.**

 **X**

 **Planet Tarus - Hourglass Nebula**

 **September 30, 2184 - 13:32 hours**

Tarus was a small, forest covered planet in the smallest corner of the Hourglass Nebula. Out of the way for many travelers, and even though it is habitable with the right amount of oxygen for many species and the proper climates no one lives there...as far as anyone was aware.

X

One final gunshot rang out and the last merc fell dead to the floor. A squad of five Cerberus Assault Troopers and an Engineer stormed the room weapons ready as they cleared the area of hostiles. "All clear." said the lead trooper as two more stepped into the small base with a Centurion leading them.

"Did you find it?" asked the squad leader as their Engineer began going through the nearby terminals with his omni-tool.

"I think I have. Give me a few moments to break this encryption, whoever wrote it made damn sure that no one could see it." said the Engineer as he began hacking the terminal in front of him.

"Just hurry the hell up. We shouldn't be here any longer than we have to and I-" the Centurion was cut off when a loud clatter echoed from the next room. Every Cerberus operative had their weapons up and aiming at the doorway leading out.

"What the hell was that? I thought we killed everyone here." said one of the troopers gripping his Mattock rifle tighter.

"You and you, go check it out." said the Centurion pointing to two of his men. Both troopers nodded before readying their assault rifles and treading toward the room, opening the door and slipping inside.

The room had been a barracks before the Cerberus strike team cleared the base out. It was empty, a few cots and footlockers knocked around when the mercs all sprang into action when they were under attack.

The two troopers scanned the room before splitting off and going in two different directions to cover more ground. Weapons ready in case any surprises greeted them. Completely unaware of the set of cold, calculating eyes watching them closely.

Kicking over a couple of footlockers and opening a few standing ones, the two Cerberus operatives came up with nothing. "Nothing's here, sir." reported one pressing his ear comm.

 _"I don't want any fuck ups on this mission. The Illusive Man will have all our heads if even the smallest thing goes wrong. So make damn sure that the room is clear!"_ demanded the squad leader.

The second trooper walked around a moment while his comrade had his back to him. Something out of his peripheral vision made him pause. Moving closer to the corner of the room, he saw a credit chit laying on the ground hidden under an empty duffel bag.

Checking on his partner, the trooper switched his rifle to the other hand and reached down to pick it up.

A shimmer in the air caused him to freeze. He looked up just before his head was grabbed by an unseen force. Fighting feebly against it, the trooper could do nothing as his head was viciously snapped to the side.

The first trooper spun around hearing a loud crack and saw his partner fall to the floor dead. "What the fuc-" Something cloaked shot out of the corner, grabbing him by the head as a knife was driven into the neck piece of his armor and into his throat.

 _"Report! What the hell's going on in there!" demanded the squad leader._

The trooper gurgled as the blade drove farther in, blood gushing down the front of his bone-white armor as he choked for air. The air shifted and a large black and silver armored man stood before him.

Having only a moment to register shock, the attacker twisted the blade and slashed the rest of his throat. Blood splattering against the wall and floor as he fell dead.

The assailant looked down at the Cerberus operative before stepping over him. Heading toward the door with bloody knife in hand.

X

The Centurion tried to get ahold of the men he sent into the next room but couldn't reach them. Looking to one of his other operatives, he pointed to the door. "Go find those two assholes and find out what the hell's going on!"

Nodding, the trooper walked up to the door and reached for the green holo-panel.

The door suddenly sprung open, a large armored foot connected with the operative's head with a sickening crunch. The body being thrown back and crashing into two of his comrades and knocking them all over.

Every Cerberus agent still standing had their weapons ready as a large suit of black and silver armor stepped into the server room. "SHIT IT'S HIM! OPEN FIRE!" ordered as the operatives all fired at the lone man.

He was moving even before the rounds were fired. His knife slashing through the throat of the closest trooper, snatching the Evicerator shotgun from the dying man's hands and blasting a hole through the chest of the one behind him.

Turning on his heel, he fired another shot that took another trooper off his feet and laid him out on the floor before tossing the spent shotgun away.

Another trooper emptied a whole thermal clip from his Mattock but didn't seem to cause any damage. The assailant was on him just as he finished reloading. Pointing the rifle down and forcing the agent to shoot himself in the foot before headbutting him hard enough to dent his helmet and causing his head to snap back.

He stood still a moment before his body collapsed to the floor from a broken neck.

Taking the single-shot rifle, the attacker fired a direct headshot to the remaining trooper and blowing their brains out the back of their skull before turning on the Centurion who lept behind cover as the rounds tore through the terminal he got behind.

The Engineer also got into cover, bringing up his omni-tool and firing an incinerate in the hopes of slowing the man down as he tore through their ranks.

The assailant saw the attack coming and fired a shot that went straight through it and caused the flaming attack to disperse before it got within range. He kept his aim steady and fired two more shots. Both hitting home as the tech specialist fell dead with two holes through his cover and his helmet.

Looking at the bodies of his dead men, the Centurion got on the radio and immediately called for backup. "This is Alpha Team! We're under attack and have suffered heavy losses! He's here! The primary target is here! Send reinforc-ARGH!"

He was cut off when his head was grabbed and smashed against the terminal he was behind. The grip on his helmet tightened before it was smashed against the computer again and again.

The attacker dropped the lifeless corpse to the floor before turning to the terminal the Cerberus team was trying to hack into.

Bringing up a blood red omni-tool, he hacked the encryption in seconds as he started downloading all of the data that he had come here to get. All the while listening to the radio traffic along the local Cerberus bands. More were coming, and they were bringing in the big guns to take him down.

Good...let them try.

When the download completed he shut down his omni-tool and headed for the exit. "You're...fucked..." he paused and looked to the Assault Trooper he shot with the Evicerator. His chest wound almost gushing through the jagged pieces of twist armor.

"There are...a lot more of us...than you think..." he wheezed out. "...even if the...stories are true...you can't kill us all..."

The attacker walked across the room and stood over the dying man, "Well see about that." he said in an emotionless and synthetically filtered voice that would send chills down anyone's back.

The the last thing the trooper saw was a large foot coming down on his head, and his reflection in the crimson visor above it.

X

A group of three Kodiac dropships flew through the air in an arrow formation toward the distress signal they had just received. Passing over the dense foliage that made up Tarus' surface as they approached the location marked on their map.

Each ship containing a squad of eight Cerberus operatives, each squad with five Assault Troopers, two Guardians and lead by a lone Centurion. All of them armed to the teeth when they got confirmation of the target they were now searching for.

The three shuttles came upon a large break in the trees where a cluster of small buildings were set up. The merc base that Alpha Team was sent to infiltrate. "We're at the target location, everyone prepare to drop!" called the pilot of the lead shuttle as they hovered fifteen feet above the ground.

Sliding the doors open, the Cerberus personnel lept out of the openings. Activating the small thrusters in their boots to slow their descent as they touched down on the tall grass. When they all touched down they had their weapons up instantly. "Remember, the target is here. Fan out! Find him!" ordered one of the Centurions as the twenty four men all spread out to search the surrounding buildings.

"Watch your spacing!" ordered another getting confirmation from everyone as they all tried to remain close together.

One Assault Trooper entered a supply shed with his Vindicator battle rifle up and searching for any targets. The shed was dark, only the light from the open doorway he entered being the only thing illuminating the space beyond.

He walked past the door and lowered his weapon slightly when he saw nothing of importance when someone materialized out of the air behind him. Yanking his head back and slitting his throat hard before grabbing his rifle as he dropped to the floor dead.

The attacker activated his cloak and ran out into the open. Finding another trooper patrolling, he raised the rifle and fired two three-round bursts that quickly put the man down before he knew what was happening.

Every operative in the area heard the disturbance and were converging on the location.

Running up behind another trooper with his cloak activated, the assailant pulled the man's head back and drove his knife into his throat with a loud crunch. He picked up the agent's Scimitar shotgun as his cloak went down and shot another trooper that was running up gun blazing.

"We're taking losses! Find this fucker!" shouted one of the Centurions as they tried to regroup.

The assailant vaulted over a deactivated land rover and blasted a Guardian with the shotgun before they could get their shield up in time. Spinning on his heel, he fired another round that took out a Centurion's shields. Another blast followed that blew chunks out of the agent's armor and dropping them to the ground.

He racked the shotgun, injecting a fresh thermal clip as he switched to the battle rifle and began sprinting toward a nearby building. Leaping into the air and landing on to the roof before firing several bursts into the trooper that had been standing overwatch.

Half of the remaining Cerberus operatives gathered around the area beneath the building and taking cover among a group of crates as they fired on the rooftop. "Take him out!" shouted one of them as they kept up the assault.

Scooping up the dead operative's Revenant machine gun. The assailant rained a salvo of rounds down on to the agents below. A Guardian and a trooper falling in the assault before the weapon's large thermal clip ran empty.

Tossing the weapon aside the man lept from rooftop, fist cocked back as a surge of energy coursed through him that he slammed into the ground in the center of the group of operatives, sending out a shockwave that threw them back in several directions and killing one of them. He then took out the battle rifle and emptied the thermal clip into two more troopers before reloading.

A Centurion saw what happened and got behind his shield as he fired his Tempest SMG at the attacker.

Seeing the lone operative, the assailant got behind a nearby crate and kicking it with all his strength and sending it flying across the ground, crushing the Centurion against the wall of a nearby building.

The surviving members of the large squad regrouped and stayed close together as they continued the search.

From his hiding spot, the assailant cloaked before moving out into the open again. Taking out a trooper with a three round burst to the head before changing targets to an explosive barrel that detonated when the rounds struck it and taking another operative with it.

He moved quickly through the grass and into the space between two buildings were he found another trooper close to where the explosion went off and took him down with a few controlled bursts from the rifle. With him dead, the weapon started beeping and ejected the used thermal clip to avoid overheating.

 **"Thermal Clips Depleted."** spoke a deep monotone voice in his ear as he walked out into the open again where the remaining seven Cerberus operatives had him surrounded.

"There he is! Whose got him?!" said the Centurion as they all started to close in.

"Maverick drop your weapons!" ordered one of the troopers.

"Don't let him move!" said the Guardian

"Drop. Your. Weapons." demanded the Centurion as they sealed off any chance of escape.

Maverick stood unmoving in his nano suit as he observed his odds. Tagging all seven men as he planned his next attack. **"Tactical Options Available."** he started chuckling humorlessly as he dropped the spent rifle to the ground.

"Welcome to Hell." he said, quickly drawing the bow that was on his back and firing an arrow.

The Guardian fell dead as the bolt flew through the slot in his shield an pierced his forehead.

All the other operatives opened fire as the bow reloaded itself via the clip attached to the side as he drew the cord back again. **"Maximum Armor."** the rounds bounced off of the hardened weave of the nano suit as he fired another arrow and took down a trooper.

He rushed the squad, fist cocked back as he slammed it against the nearest trooper's face and sending him crashing into a nearby wall where he remained motionless. Drawing his knife, he spun around and rammed the blade into the right eyepiece of a third trooper trying to flank him.

Using the dead soldier as a shield, he grabbed the heavy pistol off his belt and shot the remaining two Assault Troopers dead before turning to the Centurion who found himself all alone. The agent sprayed gunfire in his direction with his assault rifle, but the nano soldier ducked behind the cover of a nearby crate at the last minute.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** no longer visible, Maverick moved around the lone Centurion as he searched for the nano soldier.

"You think you've won here?" the man called out sweeping with his weapon. "You have no idea who you've pissed off. The Illusive Man won't stop until he finds you. And when he does, you'll be begging to die." the operative fired into a nearby building when he saw a shadow move.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU!" he roared searching left and right for the Post-Human.

"Here." The man spun around only for a heavy foot to connect with his chest plate. Denting the hard metal of the armor and sending him skidding across the dirt, dropping his rifle in the process.

Maverick reappeared and stalked toward the downed man as he tried to breath with the crushed metal squeezing down on his chest and lungs. "Go ahead...kill me. Won't do you any good..." wheezed the operative.

 **"** I will." said the nano soldier as he stood over the struggling man. "But first your going to send a message to your boss." he reached down and grabbed the Centurion by the throat and brought him up to eye level. "I know that each of your suits has a video and audio feature that The Illusive Man can tap into at a moments notice."

He took the pistol he had grabbed off of the Assault Trooper from before as he spoke, "Listen up Jack, I'm sick of your dogs sticking their noses where they don't belong. So take this as my last message." he pressed the barrel to the man's head as he started to struggle in the nano soldier's grasp. "Stay the fuck out of my way." the gun went off, splattering the Centurion's brains across the ground.

Tossing the gun and the dead man aside, Maverick turned and headed into the dense jungle that surrounded the now empty merc base. **"More Cerberus Personnel Inbound."** said the AI in the suit.

"Doesn't matter, we got what we came for." replied the Post-Human as he approached a small clearing. Waving his omni-tool in the air, a pitch black Kodiac shuttle appeared. The two front sides of the craft hefting two heavy machine guns and the overall body looking sleeker in design compared to a normal Kodiac.

Opening the doors, he got inside and sat in the pilot's chair. Starting up the engines and lifting off from the planet's surface as he headed toward the atmosphere.

Once in orbit, he saw two Cerberus ships sitting idle. Obviously waiting for a response from the surface team that they wouldn't be getting.

He hit a few buttons on the console. **"Stealth Systems Engaged."** said SECOND as the small ship vanished from sight and from sensors as it flew past the larger vessels at a safe distance. No one even knowing what had happened or that their target had slipped away completely unnoticed as the small ship activated its FTL drive and shot off into space.

X

Once far enough away, the nano soldier switched the small ship to auto pilot before leaning back in the seat and removing his helmet.

Jason Harlow had changed a lot in the last year. His once shaved head was now covered in black hair that went down to his ears, and his face now sported a dark five o'clock shadow that to many almost seemed perminent.

But the biggest change of all was his eyes. The cobalt orbs that held determination, courage and a bit of a humorous side were now darker. Sharp, calculating, and in many cases...cold. Dark purple bruises under both of them signifying that he hadn't been sleeping well.

 **"Incoming Transmission."** chimed SECOND.

Jason activated the vid-screen as a female Quarian wearing a black and red enviro-suit appeared. "Jason, were you successful?" she asked a little hesitantly.

The Post-Human held up the OSD he had made from the files he ripped from the terminal planet-side. "Got everything right here, Reena. SECOND hacked it with no problem and we now have everything we need." he said with a ghost of a smile.

Reena let out a breath in relief. "Thank Keelah. When we picked up several Cerberus IFFs in the area we started to get nervous."

"Everything's fine. Tell Thrax and Chellick to cool it until I get back to base. I should be there in about two days." replied Jason.

The Quarian nodded, "Should I tell our friend that we have what she was looking for?" she asked.

"Yeah, let her know and set up a time where she wants to meet up. It would be a breath of fresh air seeing her again." Jason said as his voice started to go hollow toward the very end of the sentence.

His long time friend picked up the change immediately, "You okay?" she asked concerned.

The nano soldier didn't reply. The same answer any of them got when they asked him that question when he got like this. "It's been a year...hasn't it?" Reena asked after a moment.

Jason nodded slowly, "A year to the day..." he said barely above a whisper.

Reena's heart ached seeing her friend like this. It had been this way for a whole year. Every passing month things seemed to have gotten easier, but she and the others knew that the pain went so deep that he could cover it all too well.

"It wasn't your fault, Jason." the Quarian said after a long silence. "I know you get sick of hearing it all the time, but it's the truth. Me and everyone else knows that you did everything you could to-"

"I don't want to talk about it Reena." Jason said sharply cutting her off.

Reena threw her arms up, "That's just it Jason! You never want to talk about it! You may try to hide your pain and suffering but we all see it! _Everyday_ we watch as our friend dies more and more inside. You barely sleep anymore, barely eat, you throw yourself into increasingly dangerous missions weekly!"

She took a breath after her rant and continued, "I know you're hurting. And we're here for you. But you have to let us help you...is this what she would have wanted?"

Jason was silent, eyes staring blankly at the shuttle controls before him. When he spoke his voice was dead and hollow. "I'll be there in two days. See you then." he said shutting down the transmission. Reaching into his suit, he pulled out a set of dogtags. The metal dented and scratched by the events of the past but still very much readable.

 **'Cmdr Jane Shepard'**

Jason ran his gloved fingers over the name delicately. His heart clenching the longer her looked at the tags. His mind drifting back to better times. Back when things were at their happiest despite what had happened not long before.

Letting the tags fall to his chest, the Post-Human leaned back in the pilot's seat and put his head back as his thoughts went through his head like a parade from hell. Too much had happened since he and Liara had gotten Jane's body back from the Shadow Broker. And even though he and the others had made the most of the time with her out of action, some days were better than others.

In the last year, things had changed a lot in the Traverse.

The original Citadel Council had been stripped of their position and a new Council had taken their place. And with the species governments paying closer attention to the on goings of the station a lot of other changes had been made.

Among those were the findings of several corrupt and bought out political figures that had been found, tried and removed from their respected positions. This also included a handful of Spectres who had been double dealing under the table.

Tela Vasir had been on that list, but the now Ex-Asari Spectre had went into hiding shortly after being found out. Most likely into the Shadow Brokers pocket where she had been delving into for who knew how long.

Anderson remained on the Council. It wasn't what he wanted to do, but the ex-Alliance Captain knew that he could do some good in his current position and vowed to help where he could. And with Udina currently under 24/7 surveillance for suspicion of corruption, Anderson was unhindered in the choices he made for the betterment of Humanity and the galactic community.

The four Council governments were also taking the necessary steps to prepare for the Reapers. Working together and pooling resources to strengthen the armor, barriers and weaponry of their ships. And to also find ways of detecting indoctrination in individuals who could be exposed to Reaper technology.

However, not everything was good.

Cerberus and the Shadow Broker's forces had been on the move a lot more. It seemed that their respected networks picked up the intel he had given the Council races and were preparing themselves as well. Though the Post-Human knew that both forces would only prove to be a hindrance to what they were all trying to achieve. And Jason would be damned if he let that happen.

Also, with the Council races upgrading their military strength, those living in the Terminus Systems had started to grow uneasy. Worrying about a possible attack. But Jason saw this coming, which was why he had given that OSD to Aria when he was on Omega with Liara which explained what was going on with the Reapers.

The pirate Queen had been pissed at first that the old Council would even attempt to hide this. But afterward, in a rare moment, she thanked the nano soldier and offered any help she could should he need it in the future for giving her such vital intel.

With the Terminus Systems going back to neutral after Aria took the reigns on the situation, Jason slipped back into what he had been doing for the last year.

Like Chellick had said, he became a hired gun for those with honest intentions. Dealing with out of control slavers, mercs, and pirates throughout Terminus Space. Earning good creds and a large stockpile of arms, armor, tech, and salvage to help him and his friends set up a very stable operation on Enos. All the while finding valuable intel that could aid them.

The Council races were still looking for him. Either for incarceration or for more intel he never knew since he avoided going into Council Space as much as possible. Deciding to keep himself to the shadows and help from there.

He stayed in contact with Anderson and Admrial Hackett, even doing a few jobs for the Alliance since they weren't allowed within the Terminus boarders. The two also kept him informed of what had been going on while he was away and was glad for their help.

Jason had also stayed in contact with as many members of the _Normandy_ crew as he could. Wrex had been gathering more Krogan under the Clan Urdnot banner for a better chance at life that didn't involve them bringing themselves to extinction. The Warlord even told Jason that he'd be welcomed on Tuchunka and dared anyone to try and harm an honorary member of his clan.

Garrus had left C-Sec and was currently on Omega under the alias Archangel. Having already gathered his team and was attempting to deal with the merc problem on the infamous station. Thankfully he kept in touch with Ashley, who was on the fast track to becoming Lieutenant-Commander, they kept their relationship strong even at a distance.

Though she had no idea what he was really doing. And he might regret that later.

Tali was still with the flotilla and was working on her new home aboard the _Neema_ after giving them her pilgrimage gift. Jason had sent her a warning about an imminent attack from Cerberus that he had intercepted a few months after coming to Enos and managed to save a lot of lives in the process. Tali had sent a tearful thank you while Reena nearly squeezed the life out of him from the hug she had given for protecting the Migrant Fleet.

Kaidan had gotten through his rehab and had become Lieutenant-Commander for his actions in the fight against the Geth and Saren. He was currently at Grissom Academy for a little down time, teaching students to use biotics for about another year before being put back on active duty again.

Ashley was working with a squad of marines under her command as they ran a few small ops on the edge of Terminus Space. The Chief was more than ready to lead after the time she spent with Jason and Jane, and was going to do her part to make sure that what happened to the _Normandy_ didn't happen again.

Liara had become a well known information broker on Illium. Using her ever growing network to help the nano soldier and his team on their ops while at the same time keeping tabs on Cerberus and the Shadow Broker. Feron working along side her, but staying out of sight since the Broker was still hunting for him after Jason and the others helped him escape.

There had been ups and downs, but they had all been productive. And they still had another year to go before things had really kicked off.

Closing his eyes, Jason let sleep claim him. Dreams of green eyes and red hair greeting him that had him smiling in his slumber.

 **X**

 **A/N: I wanted to point out that many of my reviewers were correct with how Jason could have found a way to keep Jane alive. But I still stand by my belief in the butterfly effect. And there was no way of knowing that saving her in one way would have resulted in her death another sometime down the line.**

 **Regardless, he shows a good deal of remorse for his inactions, as shown in the previous chapter where he spoke to her remains. But at the same time, it fully clicked with him that he can't keep playing by the rules set out by others. And this will spear head the events to come leading into ME2.**

 **I still appreciate your reviews folks, positive or negative, it helps me figure out how to make this fic something everyone will enjoy. I have another update loaded and ready to go, just say the word and it'll be posted in no time flat!**


	53. II Chapter 6

**A/N: Ask and ye shall receive!**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Hidden Base - Planet Enos**

 **October 1, 2184 - 22:55 hours**

 **"Initiating Docking Procedures."** Jason awoke when he heard SECOND speak. The shuttle had already passed through the atmosphere and was approaching the outpost where he and the others had set up shop almost a year ago. The one place where no one had been able to find them...yet.

The hanger bay doors opened and the shuttle touched down in its rightful place right next to the shooting range he and Chellick had set up a long time ago.

Grabbing his helmet and bow, Jason opened the hatch and stepped out into the hanger/cargo area where Chellick was at the shooting range testing out his new sniper rifle. The Turian looked over his shoulder after ejecting a spent thermal clip and nodded to his long time friend. "Welcome home, Jason." he said setting the rifle aside as they walked to the elevator together to join the others.

Jason nodded to him as they stepped on the lift. "Yeah, home sweet home." he muttered as the doors slid closed and the the elevator ascended and stopped on the top floor. Opening into the op center allowing Jason and Chellick off. Reena and Thrax were waiting for them as they approached the table in the center.

The outpost had also changed by leaps and bounds. Once they established themselves with a certain information broker who knew them and was familiar with the Post-Human's skills, missions came at them from all sides.

Jason mostly went on ops alone, but every so often Chellick, Reena, Thrax, and even Feron on occasion would tag along for a piece of the action. They worked well together as a team and it was a perfect dynamic for them.

After the credits started coming in they cleaned up, upgraded, and furnished their new dwelling so well that it became not only a base of operations; but a home as well.

"Mission success?" asked Thrax as they stood around the table together and already knowing the answer.

Jason pulled an OSD from his pack and set it on the table. "They had a larger force waiting just in case things went wrong. They didn't expect one person getting in and out." said the nano soldier.

"Just how many of them did you kill down there?" asked Chellick crossing his arms and smirking.

"Lost count around 25. But Cerberus should know better than to fuck with me after all the operatives of theirs I've put down in the last year." said the nano soldier running a hand through his hair.

Reena looked down at the datapad in front of her, "Things have gotten worse out there from what I could find." she said sliding it over to Jason who looked it over. "Two more colonies went dark a few days ago. Same MO as the last ones making 15 in the last year." explained the Quarian.

Jason sighed, the Collectors had been moving through the Terminus kidnapping colonies every time they turned around. He'd gone to a few of the colonies that were attacked hoping to find either evidence of the attacks or even survivors, but always kept coming up empty.

The bug bastards were thorough, he'd give them that. But nothing and nobody was perfect. They'd mess up eventually, and he'd be there to stomp them into the ground when they did.

"Just another thing for us to look into." said the Post-Human setting the datapad aside. "Have we established contact with our benefactor?" he asked looking at his Quarian friend.

Reena nodded, "I sent the encrypted message out, we should be hearing back from them within the next day or so." she replied.

"Good." Jason looked to the center of the table. "How are our other operations, SECOND?"

The holo-tank in the middle of the table lit up and a form materialized. A small scale version of the nano suit appeared, the projection being blood-red in color.

 **"All Operations are Functioning Within Normal Parameters. No Abnormalities Detected."** reported the AI.

It had taken Jason a little time to construct the AI a hologram form, but when he had it made it a lot easier to maintain the outpost. SECOND had been able to replicate its form in a way that allowed it to run the systems in their base and remain in the nano suit when Jason was in a field.

This worked out perfectly, especially since the group had managed to buy shares in certain companies that dealt with weapons manufacturing, mining, and technology upgrades in different corners of the galaxy that the AI could keep track of easily. All of this being stockpiled where they needed it the most.

SECOND was evolving on its own as quickly as the nano suit itself. In a few instances, Jason could hear Major Barnes' personality come through it every now and again. Something that made the nano soldier wonder if his predecessor left more than the suit behind when he died.

"Keep a close eye on them and let me know of any changes." said Jason. The AI nodded and vanished back into the table.

Thrax's eye looked over at the Post-Human who was leaning heavily on the table. Hand's braced on the surface as his eyes looked devoid of thought for a moment. "You need more sleep." he grunted bluntly.

Jason shook his head and blinked a few times. "I'm fine." he said standing back upright.

"No, you're not, Jason." said Reena. "You've been running yourself ragged for weeks now. All of this can wait, you need rest."

"They're right. You're just going to get yourself killed if you keep going like this." agreed Chellick.

Rubbing the stubble on his face, Jason knew that he was fighting a losing battle with them and sighed. "Alright...alright. Just let me know when our message is received." he stepped away from the table and went back into the elevator and hitting the panel for the living quarters.

When the doors slid closed the three still in the room sighed together, "He's getting worse..." said Reena concerned.

"It's to be expected." said Thrax. "Losing one's bondmate causes a rift in their mind and soul. The pyjak is suffering in a way many could understand." The Krogan's lone eye shined over with an unknown emotion for just a moment before going back to normal.

"Experience?" asked Chellick gently.

The old Warlord looked out the large window of the op center as he thought back to a time that he tried to keep buried. "I was bonded to an Asari long ago. She was the only one to treat me with any trust or respect at the time. For the first time in my pathetic excuse for a life since the Krogan Rebellions, I had purpose again."

Reena stepped closer to her Turian lover and wrapped her arms around him. "What happened to her?" she asked.

Thrax's eye narrowed, "She was killed by a Krogan from a rival clan. I killed his son several years prior and he was out for vengeance." he turned to them with a vicious sneer on his scarred face. "I found the bastard not long afterward. By the time I was done, he was begging for his pitiful life to be spared. I avenged my bondmate and made her killer pay with every drop of his cowardly blood!"

It took a minute for him to calm down before speaking again. "There was never anyone else after her. No one would ever match up to her beauty, her warrior spirit, or her heart. This old bastard was in love once...but never again."

"I'm sorry, Thrax." said Chellick tightening his grip around Reena. Wondering how horrible life would be if the young Quarian wasn't in his life.

The old Krogan breathed out, "It's been so long since that day. But I know what Jason is enduring. It's not something you can come back from without scars. And after what he's been through, it's surprising that he can take even more."

Reena looked to the elevator and wondered the same. How much more trauma could Jason sustain before he broke completely?

X

Stepping out of the shower in his private bathroom, Jason looked at himself in the mirror. Despite getting clean, the nano soldier still looked haggard and exhausted from the last year. His reflection showed a man who was exhausted a lot more than he was letting on.

Reaching into one of the cabinets, he took out a shaver and started hacking away the long hair on his head. After a few minutes, Jason's head was shaved down like the way it was a year ago. Looking more like his old self if even by a little.

Tossing the shaver aside, he stepped into his room and dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans before laying down on his bed. Much like the rest of the outpost, his room had been refurnished and looked more like a place worth living in instead of an abandoned husk. A collection of datapads laid scattered across the table in the center of the room and a couple of dismantled weapons laid on the floor and the desk nearby

His nano suit set up in a case in the corner of the room with his terminal set up to it and his bow on the table next to it.

Taking the original blueprints for the bow he had lost when the _Normandy_ was destroyed, the nano soldier had improved on the design and made it more advanced than he had before.

Instead of loading arrows individually, he had a clip-feed system set up that would dispense a condensed arrow into the proper place before extending itself to the proper size allowing the user to fire it within a second after it's dispensed.

It was through the new clip feed system he was able to make a couple new kinds of arrows. Originally he had regular, explosive, and eezo arrows. But after some experimenting, he had managed to make two more.

The electro-shock arrows, which delivered a 10,000 volt payload on contact via a charged battery that was encased inside the extendable shaft of the arrow. The arrow could not only incapacitate, or even kill an enemy, but also worked like a precise overload that could short out shields and tech effectively.

He also created the High-Explosive arrow. Unlike the original that acted like a fragmentation grenade that exploded on contact, these ones had triple the power and could be detonated remotely via a trigger on the bow's handle. It was perfect for big targets or crowd control, or if he didn't have time to hack a door.

Jason had taken all five arrow types and condensed them into clips for each type, though he could only have a certain number of arrows per clip. Regular bolts came in clips of 10. HE 3. Eezo 5. Electro-Shock 5. And Frag 5. If he could plan the situation out right, each one would ensure 100% combat effectiveness with his new bow.

He named his new creation the Predator Bow V2, and it worked much better than the original ever had. But it wasn't the only project he had worked on.

The Post-Human had also been experimenting with nano technology. Taking samples from the nano suit itself and integrating it with other pieces of technology. The first successful project had been the small ship that had been in the hanger of the outpost after they arrived.

The small vessel's engines had been damaged and several systems had been shot to hell and needed a lot of work before it was space worthy again.

After two months worth of work, Jason, Chellick and Reena had gotten the stealth shuttle operational again. Repainted it, installed a good weapons system, upgraded the armor, and opened everything up for the nano soldier to incorporate the suit's technology to it.

With trial and error, Jason had upgraded the ship's stealth systems to be nearly as effective as the nano suit's. Which also included a cloaking ability that fed off of the vessel's FTL drive making it extremely effective when getting in and out of hot spots.

The group had named the one of a kind shuttle the _Wraith_ because of it's improved stealth systems.

Jason had a couple other projects that he was still working on in his spare time. But after yesterdays mission those would have to be put on the backburner until everything else played out.

Feeling exhaustion finally creeping up on him, the nano soldier looked at the holo of him and Jane that he had put on the bedside table before he closed his eyes and slipped into the darkness that embraced him.

X

 _Darkness and flames surrounded him on all sides. The stars in the distance blocked out by the debris that scattered through the open vacuum._

 _But the only thing that mattered to him was the one in his arms. Her dented black and red N7 armor shining from the blaze that surrounded them on all sides. Her jade green eyes looking at him through her visor._

 _He could see the fear in those eyes. Pleading. But he couldn't move, something had him frozen in place and all he could do was watch as she was ripped from his arms and sent hurling into the darkness._

 _Reaching out for her, but she was already gone. And through the darkness her voice rang out, full of malice and hate._

 _"Why did you let me die?"_

X

Jason bolted awake, sweat pouring down his newly re-shaved scalp as he breathed heavily.

It was a common occurrence that had happened almost every other night. These nightmares were far worse than the ones he had before and had the biggest impact on his mind and heart. Seeing Jane die again and again in his subconscious had taken its toll on him and everyone was starting to see it.

Checking his omni-tool he saw that he had been asleep for about nine hours. The longest he had ever slept in a long time. And he oddly felt more refreshed than he had before.

His omni-tool buzzed and he answered the call that was coming through, "Yeah?" he asked clearing his throat.

Reena's face appeared on the small holo-screen that popped up. "Sorry to wake you up, Jason. But we got a response from the message that was sent out. She want's to talk to you immediately." said the Quarian.

"I was already awake." said Jason rubbing his eyes. "I'll be right up. Set up the vid-com room."

His friend nodded as the call ended. The nano soldier got up and stretched a little, cracking his neck to the side before leaving the room and passing through the mess hall/rec room where Chellick was watching some kind of sport on tv.

After a quick ride on the elevator, Jason walked through the op center where Reena was waiting outside the comm room. "You look a little better." she commented.

Jason nodded, "Yeah...nightmares are still there. But at least I can sleep a little bit more now." he admitted.

Reena stepped forward and wrapped her lithe arms around her Human friend. "Jason, I know you miss her. Keelah knows what I'd be like if I lost Chellick." she leaned back from the hug and met his gaze. "Just...you can talk to us. Don't push us out if you're hurting."

The nano soldier closed his eyes and let a breath out through his nose. "Alright...I just...I can't let her go."

"I know, Jason. No one's telling you to." said Reena. "But don't let what happened to her kill you. And that's what's been happening. We've seen how you've been on certain missions. You go in and slaughter damn near everything. You put yourself in riskier situations at almost every turn."

The Quarian gripped his arms a little tighter, "Is this what she would have wanted? You to be throwing your life away like that?"

The Post-Human sighed again, "No. And you're right. But right now we have bigger things to deal with." he said heading to the comm room.

Reena shook her head and went to walk away, "Reena." she paused and looked back at the comm room where Jason stood on the threshold. "Thank you. You, Chellick and Thrax have been there through all of this. I can't tell you how much that means to me." he said smiling at her over his shoulder before stepping into the room.

"Well...it's a start." the young Quarian said before going off to join her lover.

X

Jason stood in front of the terminal that would link him to the person he had been wanting to speak to for some time now.

The whole reason for his mission on Tarus and it would prove to be beneficial to everyone in the coming war against the Reapers and even Cerberus when the time finally came. It was a long shot, and things would change drastically when this all came about. But in the end, everything would work out for the best.

 **"Connection Established."** said SECOND.

"Patch her through." said Jason as a form materialized before him. The image of a familiar Asari smiled at him.

"Hello Jason." said Liara. "How have you been?" she asked taking in his appearance and the fading dark circles under his eyes.

"Been better. I take it you got our message?" he asked.

She nodded, "I did. And you can imagine my surprise when you mentioned that you and your team uncovered vital data. My only questions are what is it? And why did you inform me of this?"

The nano soldier took a deep breath, "The information pertains to you specifically. And because...I found _HIM_." he said bluntly with a sharp edge in his tone.

Liara's shoulder's tensed, her face turning serious, "Are you sure?"

Holding up the OSD in his hand, the nano soldier smirked. "That's the vital data I was telling you about. I stopped a bunch of Cerberus flunkies from decrypting a file that contained the coordinates to his main base. Right now, I'm one of only a select few who know where he is."

Tension built in the air. Jason knew that the once innocent archaeology major that Liara had portrayed had become a strong, and even cut throat mistress of data. No body messed with her, or they were never heard from again.

Liara's blue eyes shifted from the OSD to the cobalt orbs of the Post-Human. "Were you able to pinpoint his exact location?" she asked slipping into her professional persona.

"Not like this." said Jason slipping the OSD in his pocket. "Something this important can't be found out in case someone hacked the line. We need to meet face to face, and I'll give you the data. And to be honest...I want to be there, and kill him myself." he said darkly.

"Jason, this is a delicate matter and I-"

"It's not up for negotiation Liara." Jason said cutting her off. "You want the Shadow Broker? So do I after what he tried to do to Jane. And we'll have a better chance at storming his base as a team. And you're right, it is a delicate situation. But you know how I can operate in all forms on the battlefield."

Liara knew there was no getting around it. Jason couldn't be moved when he set his mind to something, an honorable trait that many people admired. "Alright, Jason. Come to my office on Illium, I'll set everything up for your arrival and let you know where we can meet to discuss our plans."

Jason nodded, "I'll be there Liara." he turned to end the call when she stopped him.

"Jason." He looked up and saw the saddened look on her face. "I'm so sorry...for what I did. I know I had no right to disturb her rest. But the galaxy needs her now more than ever. And I believed that..." she trailed off when he raised a hand to stop her.

"Will they bring her back...just the way she was?" he asked looking at her with an array of emotions going through his eyes. "Will she remember everything that happened? Will she..." he choked on his words a little. "Will she remember _me_?"

For the first time in a long time, Liara was at a loss for words. After what had happened to the _Normandy_ and her Commander, Jason had stone walled himself when it came to his lost love. To see underneath the cracked armor he had built around himself was both eye opening and heart wrenching.

Super soldier or no, Jason Harlow was still a man. And one that had been suffering for a little over a year now.

"Jason..." Liara paused, choosing her words carefully. "The Lazarus Project Cerberus is performing on her, it's a science never heard of before. I was skeptical at first, but they possess both the funds and the resources to do this. They swore to bring her back just the way she was when she died. As much as I hated to give her to them after the things they have done...I had little options. All we can do is hope and pray."

Jason blew out a slow breath, "Thank you for your honesty." he said genuinely. "Guess I'll have to keep my fingers crossed then."

Liara nodded, "We all will have to. I may not have faith in Cerberus, but I have faith in Jane. Both of you were known to pull off the impossible, I don't see this being any different."

The nano soldier looked at his friend and smiled, "I forgive you, Liara. And I know she will too when we see her again."

Smiling back, the Asari couldn't help but ask. "Don't you mean _if_ she comes back, Jason?"

Turning from the hologram, Jason began to leave the room. "Like you said, we gotta have faith. And right now, that's in pretty short supply these days." He paused at the door and looked back at her. "We'll be at Illium in a few days. I'll let you know when we're a day out."

Liara nodded again, "See you soon, Jason." the hologram vanished.

Jason continued his trek, bringing up his omni-tool as he headed for the elevator. "SECOND, let everyone know they need to gear up. We're heading to Illium to meet up with someone. And let them know we're going hunting."

 **"Acknowledged."** replied the AI as the lift started to descend.

The nano soldier cracked his knuckles, "It's time to put the big bad Shadow Broker out of business." he said darkly.

 **X**

 **A/N: And another big mission has begun, a year head of schedule. A new hunt has indeed begun.**

 **I got a couple more updates waiting in the rings, so be ready!**


	54. II Chapter 7

**Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **MSV Vecta**_ **\- Enroute to Illium**

 **October 5, 2184 - 11:18 hours**

Much like the outpost that the team had made their home for the last year. The _Vecta_ had also had some improvements. One of which was a strong enough weapon system to help them defend themselves in space combat.

Reena had been able to upgrade the ships barriers to assist with the weapons. It wasn't as powerful as powerful as military grade ships but it would serve its purpose should they encounter any hostiles.

"We're about another two hours out from Illium." said Chellick from the pilot's seat.

Jason stood behind him in his nano suit as he saw the Asari colony slowly approaching through the view port. "Let me know when we've docked. If the Shadow Broker finds out we have data like this he'll pull out all the stops to get his hands on it. We need to be ready." he said before heading out of the bridge, passing by Reena at the navigation terminal on his way toward the cargo hold where the _Wraith_ was stationed and the armory was set up.

Thrax was already there making sure that all of their weapons and armor was ready for the upcoming mission.

Going down the racks of armaments, the nano soldier began to pick out the weapons he would need. After spending the last year stocking up on the best weapons they could afford, coupled with raiding multiple ships and warehouses that were under the control of either merc factions or in some cases Cerberus, they had collected a decent amount of weaponry.

Laying the selected guns out on a nearby bench, Jason began to check each one over extensively. Given what they would be facing he wanted to make sure he had the right equipment for the job.

That in mind, the Post-Human has chosen two Paladin heavy pistols, a Black Widow sniper rifle, and a Harrier assault rifle. The Paladins and the Black Widow were advanced and powerful weapons that were reserved for those with Spectre status or higher in Council Space. Both of which were found in an illegal shipment that had was being transported out of the system on a ship run by Eclipse mercs.

The Harrier rifle was a prototype created by Cerberus. Based off of the Mattock rifle's design, only instead of firing single shot it was able to fire full auto while maintaining good accuracy.

They were effective weapons, Jason had used them all at several times for different missions depending on what he had been facing at the time. And right now he'd need all of them plus his bow just to take down the Shadow Broker.

After checking each weapon over and making sure they were functioning properly, the nano soldier collapsed them into their smaller forms and strapping them on to the proper places on his suit. _"Jason, we're docking at Nos Astra now. A Concierge is waiting for us."_

"On my way up. Let Reena and Thrax know to arm up and be ready just in case. I'll go talk to Liara and set things up." said Jason heading back up to the bridge.

 _"Gotcha. Good luck out there man."_ said Chellick.

X

Stepping off of the ship, Jason looked out over the vast metropolis that was Nos Astra. Illium was said to be one of the biggest business capitals on this side of the Traverse, and the center for a large portion of information trafficking in the sector.

But deep underneath the surface, Illium was just as bad as Omega. Considering that it was marked as the 'gateway to the Terminus' it wasn't that much of a surprise.

The place was full of corrupt business heads, crime lords, and slavers that could hide in plain sight without fear of being caught. It was a perfect place for him to walk around and not have someone drag him off into Council Space.

They'd most likely try to put a bullet in his head...which gave him an excuse to kill any SOB that tried.

Jason was pulled from his thoughts as an Asari approached him flanked by two LOKI mechs. "Welcome to Nos Astra, Maverick. I've been instructed to waive all docking and administration fees for your visit." said the Concierge kindly.

"I take it you were sent on behalf of the one I'm here to meet." said the nano soldier.

The Asari nodded, "Yes. Liara T'Soni vouched for your conduct and paid all fees that you would normally incur." she brought up her omni-tool and checked a few things. "She also asked that I direct you to her office near the trading floor as soon as possible when you arrived."

"Thank you. I'll let you know if I need anything else." said Jason.

"Again, welcome to our city. Please enjoy your stay." said the Concierge with a bow before she and the mechs walked away.

When the Asari was out of sight, Jason took a look around to make sure no one was in the vicinity. **"Cloak Engaged."** he vanished from sight before making his way out of the docking area, slipping from shadow to shadow in order to avoid people on his way to the trading floor.

From there he made sure to move slowly and precisely to steer clear of the crowds that mobbed the many kiosks and terminals set up by shop owners and merchants.

He found the office were his old friend was set up and made for the stairs. Slipping past the administrations desk and having SECOND hack the door before slipping inside. The Asari running the desk looked up when she heard the door close but didn't see anything before going back to work.

X

Inside the office. Liara stood facing the large window that overlooked the trade floor from her office with a hologram of a Human before her. "Have you faced an Asari Commando unit before? Few Humans have." she said in an emotionless tone that reminded Jason a lot of her mother while she was indoctrinated.

The Post-Human ran a scan of the room as the two kept speaking and found over four listening devices hidden in the office. Sticking to the corner, he brought up his omni-tool and prepared to fire an overload.

"I'll make this simple." Liara continued. "Either you pay me, or I flay you alive. With my mind." she finished with a darker tone.

When the call ended Jason fired the overload shutting down everything electronic in the room and causing it to go dark. Liara dropped the datapad she had been holding and summoned her biotics as the nano soldier stepped out of the shadows and decloaked. "It's been a while, Liara." he said not, threatened by her display.

Liara let out a breath and withdrew the dark energy around her. "Jason. I see you still know how to make an entrance." she said relaxing a little.

"Your office was bugged. I had to take out the devices before we could talk." he said pulling up a chair in front of her desk and sitting down. Liara sat on the other side a moment later.

"I thought I cleared all the bugs from my office. How could someone even get in here?" she wondered out loud.

"My best guess, whoever could gain access when you're not around." said Jason. "With you on the Shadow Broker's shit list, anyone could be on his payroll."

"Nyxeris..." Liara muttered under her breath. "I'll deal with this later. What of the data?"

The Post-Human took out the OSD containing the coordinates and set it on the desk. "It's all there. Encrypted so that no one else other than me and SECOND can crack it. Not that I don't trust you, Liara. It's everyone else around here that I don't."

Liara picked up the OSD and looked it over, "Are you sure that it's accurate?"

Jason nodded his head. "It took trail and error, but I tracked down the right outpost that had it in their terminal files. Normally such intel is wiped from the memory banks not long after receiving it, but the station Cerberus went after never go the chance."

"And the others? What are their thoughts on this?" the young Asari asked.

"Chellick, Reena and Thrax are all more than ready to make sure we get there in one piece. And I spoke to Feron just before we docked, He's on board as well." said the nano soldier. "If we hope to bring him down for good, we need to go in as a team."

Liara nodded, "Very well. I need to head back to my apartment and gather a few things that we will need before we make our plans." she said standing.

Jason followed suit as she walked around the desk and stood before him. Without a word, the young Asari wrapped her arms around the large Human in an embrace. "It's good to see you again, Jason. And I'm so sorry, for what I had to do. I wish there could have been another way."

Wrapping his arms around her, Jason felt the deep honesty in her words. "It's okay, Liara." he said. "I never stopped trusting you or anyone else from the _Normandy_. And I won't stop now. If this can bring her back to us...to me. Than I don't care."

Backing away from one another, Liara nodded again. "We should get started. We don't want to run the risk of the Shadow Broker finding out that we have this." she said pocketing the OSD and heading to the door.

"I'll meet you there in an hour." said Jason reactivating his cloak as she exited the office with him on her heels.

"Nyxeris, I'm taking off for the day. Redirect any important calls to my private channel." said Liara to her the other Asari as she headed down the stairs.

The secretary watched her go with a fake smile until she was out of sight. She dropped the facade and brought up her omni-tool. _"Yes?"_ came a voice from the other end of the line. Before she could utter a word, a large hand wrapped around her throat. Lifting her off her chair and pinning her to the wall as Jason appeared out of thin air.

He shorted out the device before turning his attention back to the wide eyed spy. "Hello...Observer." he said making her face pale. "Don't worry, your boss will be joining you soon enough."

Jason slammed her hard into the wall, hearing the satisfying sound of her neck snapping on impact before dropping the body to the floor. "That should make things go by a little more smoothly." he mumbled before activating his cloak once more and heading off back to the ship.

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Liara's Apartment - Nos Astra**

 **October 5, 2184 - 15:32 hours**

After letting the others in on what was going on, Jason and Chellick grabbed a rental skycar and made their way to Liara's apartment building. "You think things will go smoothly?" asked the Turian as they made their way through traffic.

Jason cocked the slid back on one of his Paladins before holstering it. **"Hard to say. The Shadow Broker got his title for a reason. I'm expecting shit to hit the fan right off the bat."** he said as they banked right and made their way to the apartment building where the Asari lived.

Parking the car and getting out. The duo made their way into the building and rode the elevator to the proper floor and headed to the right door.

A feeling in the pit of his gut made the nano soldier pause. He stopped Chellick a few feet from the door. "Something doesn't feel right." he said focusing on the door. **"Nano Vision Enabled."**

The visor's vision mode had been upgraded from its previous abilities. Jason now had the ability to see people through solid walls as long as it wasn't too thick.

When he looked into his friend's apartment he saw nothing moving and drew one of his pistols. "She's not in there. Something's wrong." Chellick drew his Avenger assault rifle while the nano soldier hacked the door lock.

When the door slid open the duo stormed the apartment, checking left, right and center for any hostiles.

The place was a wreck. The kitchen table had been knocked over, glass cases that held Prothean artifacts that Liara had collected in her travels were shattered with shards laying everywhere. Bullet marks were on various walls and even the floor along with the bodies of three mercs wearing bone white armor and helmets with glowing red eye pieces and a red arrow-like designs on the chest plates.

There was no sign of Liara.

"Someone beat us here." said Chellick checking the bodies of one of the mercs, letting his detective side take over. "I've never seen this insignia before." he wondered looking at the symbol on the man's armor.

"They work for the Shadow Broker. That's his sign." said Jason, remembering the sigil back when he, Liara and Feron infiltrated the base on Alingon. His visor scanned everything for evidence pointing to what happened and where Liara could be right now.

"Guess you were right about him coming after her." said the ex-detective standing up and looking around the room. "The question is, where is she now?"

Jason's visor marked several things around the room. Spent thermal clips. Blood splatter that didn't match Liara's DNA. But what stuck out was the shattered window in the living room. "This is how they got in." said the Post-Human looking at the window. "They tried to catch her off guard. But they didn't count on the fact she was waiting for something like this to happen."

He looked around again, "And if that's the case, then she would have left something behind for us to find. And we better find it fast, the local cops will probably be here any minute."

The two split up and began to comb over everything in the apartment. Checking artwork, artifacts, terminals, anything that the Asari could have used to hide anything for them to go on.

Heading up to the loft where the bed was located. Jason headed straight for the bedside table where a holo of the _Normandy_ was sitting next to another holo of the crew that had been taken a week after Sovereign's defeat.

He picked up the one of the ship first and looked it over, nothing happened. Setting it down he picked up the one of the crew and the image changed to the one of him an Jane. The very same one that he had back home since Liara was the one that took it.

 _'Why would she have a holo of me and Jane?'_ he thought. It hit him then, setting the holo down he went back down the stairs and into the living room.

In the far corner in a glass case similar to that of the ones that held the Prothean artifacts, was the back piece of Jane's N7 armor. "Chellick, over here." Jason said approaching the glass.

The Turian jogged over and stood next to him, "Is that a piece of Shepard's armor? What's she doing with it?" he asked as the nano soldier approached the case, running his fingers over the glass gently as he gazed at the piece of severely damaged armor.

Memories passed through his mind's eye for a few moments before he shook his head. He activated his omni-tool and scanned the case. A small holo-display came up on the base of the case. Jason pressed his hand over it and a compartment popped open on the side, sliding out to reveal an OSD laying inside. "Here we go." he said picking it up and looking it over.

"Think it'll lead us to her?" asked Chellick.

"One way to find out." said Jason as they headed over to the terminals they looked over earlier and inserted the OSD into the drive.

The screen before them fizzled a bit before Liara's face appeared. _"Jason, if your getting this than you know what has happened. I don't know how the Shadow Broker managed to track down the data you've given me, but I had to act fast."_

 _"Inside this OSD are coordinates that will lead you to were I am. Feron is with me and I couldn't run the risk of either of us being discovered again. Destroy this OSD when you have the information, and be careful. I fear that the Shadow Broker may have more surprises waiting for us."_

 _"Good luck."_ with that the image faded. Jason took down the coordinates before taking out the OSD and crushing it in his hand.

"Let's go, we're out of time." Chellick nodded as they headed toward the door.

 **"Proximity Alert. Hostiles Detected."** Jason held up his fist, "Company. Get into cover." he whispered pressing his back to the side of the door and activating his cloak.

Chellick crouched down behind a book shelf with his rifle at the ready as the door slid open.

A group of five mercs wearing the same armor and symbol as the dead ones in the apartment entered wielding shotguns and assault rifles. "Spread out, tear this place apart." ordered the one in the lead.

Jason drew his knife as the group started to separate. Creeping up behind the closest merc and stabbing him hard in the lower back, jamming the blade deep into his spine. The merc shouted in pain as the nano soldier's cloak faded causing the other mercs to spin around.

Grabbing the still twitching merc's rifle, the Post-Human emptied the thermal clip into the merc standing in front of them and taking them down before he could level his own rifle.

Chellick poked up out of cover and opened fire on the remaining mercs to keep them off balance while Jason dropped the merc from his grasp. Drawing his own rifle and putting several rounds into another merc wielding a shotgun as they tried to get a line on his friend.

It took a total of 30 seconds, and the leader of the squad was all that was left. He raised his assault rifle and began firing on the nano soldier only for his opposition to cross the room too quick for him to track.

The butt of Jason's rifle connected hard with the side of the merc's helmeted head, shattering the eye pieces and knocking him to the floor before emptying the rest of the thermal clip into the prone body before he could stand.

"More will be coming, we better get moving." said the Post-Human ejecting the used clip and slamming in a fresh one as they headed for the door again.

However, they made it a total of three steps before a small canister flew through the open doorway and clattered to the ground in front of them. Jason's eyes widened "GRENADE!" he shouted, shoving Chellick hard to the side sending him over the kitchen table as he dove to the right. **"Maximum Armor."**

The grenade exploded sending a small amount of debris kicking up into the air as another group of mercs stormed the apartment.

Jason raised his rifle and fired on the group, dropping half of them before the clip was used up and switching to his Paladins. The remaining mercs opened fire on the nano soldier, the rounds bouncing harmlessly off of the suits heavy weave from the armor mode as he charged forward firing the sidearms.

Chellick got back to his feet and began spraying gunfire in the direction of the front door drawing the attention of the attackers while his friend finished them off.

The two heavy pistols registered again and again. Large holes being punched through white armor and blood flowing freely from the wounds with each successful hit. Jason put two rounds through the head of one last merc before everything went quiet again.

"Next time, will you warn me before launching me across the room like that?" asked the Turian rubbing his side that had made contact with the tables edge before he flipped over it.

"Sorry, didn't have time to think." said Jason as they lapsed into silence again.

It was through that silence that the duo heard the tell tale signs of engines powering up. Outside the windows of the apartment, a gunship baring the sign of the Shadow Broker hovered just outside. "SK'AK!" Chellick cursed loudly in his native tongue as they dove into cover.

The gunships heavy guns tore through the window and ripped the whole place apart. Jason pressed his back behind a pillar as the rounds chipped and dented the area around him. Looking over at Chellick, he saw that his friend was laying prone on the floor while the enemy vessel continued to fire a barrage of rounds into the large apartment.

Peering around the pillar, the nano soldier scanned the gunship and marked several weak points in the ship's frame. **"Tactical Options Available."** he holstered his pistols and drew the Black Widow and chambering a thermal clip. **"Cloak Engaged."**

He stood up and braced the large sniper rifle against the pillar and looked down the sights. Targeting the gunships left engine before he pulled the trigger.

The rifle kicked hard, but Jason's enhanced strength held it steady as the round pierced the weakened armor around the ship's engine. Flames suddenly burst forth before the engine exploded causing the gunship to list to the right.

Without two engines to stabilize it, the ship began to lose control as the pilot struggled in the cockpit to maintain balance. This gave Jason the opportunity to chamber another thermal clip and pull the trigger again. The round went straight through the cockpit's reinforced canopy and pierced the pilot through the head.

With nothing to keep it up anymore the gunship began to roll as it plummeted toward the ground below.

"All clear." he called out reloading his sniper rifle again before switching it for his Harrier.

"Dammit, these guys really want us dead, don't they?" said Chellick picking up his rifle.

"All the more reason for us to find Liara and take the Broker out before he does anything even more drastic." said Jason as they left the ruined apartment and entered the elevator down the hall.

Chellick loaded a fresh thermal clip into his rifle and turned to his friend. "I'd bet my left mandible that there will be more waiting for us on the ground floor." he said as the lift descended toward the lobby of the apartment building.

Jason nodded and took out a grenade while holding his own rifle in the other hand. "My thoughts exactly." They pressed themselves on either side of the door to the elevator and waited for it to stop.

As they got closer to the ground, Jason's motion tracker lit up with about a dozen hostiles meaning that the mercs were setting up an ambush. "Get ready." he said priming the explosive. The doors opened and he tossed the grenade out seconds before a hail of gunfire came in through the opening and peppering the far wall of the lift.

The explosion was heard followed by the screams of agony from those who couldn't get out of the way in time. **"Maximum Armor."** "Stay behind me!" Jason ordered as he stormed out gun blazing.

The bodies of a couple mercs laid mangled on the ground where the blast went off, but many of the group that had been waiting were still standing.

Two disoriented mercs that were close to the explosion went down first, their barriers and armor weakened from the blast as the rounds tore through them easily. The nano soldier quickly changed targets and took down another one that came up from behind a pillar nearby.

Chellick saw movement out of the corner of his eye and spun around in time to block a knife from hitting him in the back. He struggled with the merc for a few moments before getting his foot behind his opponents and tripping them. Taking the knife from the man during the fall and jamming it up into the weak part under his helmet.

By the front door, a female merc stepped up with a rocket launcher and took aim. Jason saw this and grabbed Chellick, pressing them to the nearest wall as a rocket flew past them and exploded inside the elevator where they had come from.

Two more mercs flanked the heavy gunner as they all continued to fire on the duo and giving them little room to move as the other hostiles began to regroup.

Thinking fast, the nano soldier tagged the remaining mercs on his HUD before he took out his bow and loaded a frag-clip, drawing the cord back as the arrow came out. He let the arrow fly, hitting the female merc square in the chest causing it to explode taking all three out in the blast.

With the biggest threat neutralized, they could focus on mopping up the last of the hostiles in the room.

Chellick raised his rifle and took down another merc that was reaching for his dropped weapon while Jason let another arrow go taking out two more that were hiding behind the front desk. "Think we got them all?" asked the Turian while he reloaded.

The sound of several engines converging on the parking lot outside was his answer. Jason allowed another arrow to load itself as he drew the string back. "We got more company outside. Hope your ready for another round." he said as they approached the door.

"I've been with you thus far. Just wish we could have brought Thrax along. Old bastard would probably love to revisit his glory days." said Chellick as they exited the building and took cover behind the closest car.

Poking his head up Jason observed their opposition. Another dozen mercs were waiting for them, the transport vehicles they came in on proving to be perfect cover as they waited for the duo to step out into the open.

But it wasn't the mercs that really caught his attention. Instead his eyes were focused on the lone Asari standing in the center of all the troops.

Tela Vasir stood in a white version of her old armor. The Spectre symbol replaced by the Shadow Broker's insignia while the glow of her biotics bathed her and the area around her in a blue glow. "I know you're here, Maverick! Why don't you come out and face me!" she called out.

"Not surprising to see her again." Jason said before looking at Chellick. "13 to 2 and she's the biggest threat. What do you think?"

Chellick shook his head, "I'm a good shot, but taking on a dozen by myself isn't good odds for me."

Jason nodded and brought up his bow, "Then let me even the playing field." **"Cloak Engaged."** he stood up and fired the arrow he had ready. The troop transport on the right exploded sending mercs flying in all directions, a couple even flying over the railing of the parking lot to their death.

The second transport and a few of those around it suffered the same fate as the Post-Human ejected the spent arrow-clip as his cloak deactivated.

Vasir hadn't moved from her spot. The explosions and the death of the men around her not bothering her in the slightest as she glared at the nano soldier before her. "It's about time you stopped hiding." she sneered as the remaining five mercs got ready to attack.

"Was it hiding? Or was I just making sure that it's just the two of us?" asked Jason folding up his bow and taking out a Paladin.

The ex-Spectre clenched her fist, "I'm going to make you pay for fucking up my life. Do you have any idea what you did?! Do you know how many people lost their jobs because of the new Council?!"

The nano soldier shrugged, "Maybe if they weren't corrupt assholes they wouldn't have lost everything. And as for you? I told you double dealing with the Shadow Broker would lead to nothing good. Now look at you. Forced to do the bastard's dirty work since he doesn't have the balls to do it himself."

Vasir shook her head, "Making an enemy out of the Shadow Broker is a big mistake. Even for you. No one crosses him and lives to tell about it."

"So says one of his many 'yes men'." the Post-human replied. "I honestly don't give a fuck about what pisses him off. He want's to start something? I'll gladly meet him face to face just to show him what happens when you mess with someone with almost nothing to lose."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chellick beginning to move a little closer for a better shot at their opponents.

"Is this really about fighting him?" asked the Asari. "Or is this about what he tired to do with your precious Commander Shepard?"

Jason bristled, hearing the bitch say Jane's name like that caused his vision to tint red a little. He fought down his urge to kill her for the moment and focused so that Chellick could get into position. "Why doesn't he come out of hiding and find out? I promise you it'll probably be the last thing he ever does in this lifetime."

Everything around the two seemed to fade out. Vasir's enraged gaze met Jason's crimson visor as they waited for the other to make the first move.

In his peripheral vision, Jason saw Chellick had gotten into place and was ready.

"I'm giving you a chance, Maverick. Hand over the data T'Soni left behind and we'll let you and your friend live. Don't, and I'll end you like I should have years ago." said the Vasir as the dark energy around her got more intense.

The Post-Human rolled his shoulders. "I have a better idea."

In a flash his pistol was up and registered twice. Two mercs fell dead with holes through the center of their helmets before the others could bring their own weapons to bare.

The remaining mercs went to open fire only for Chellick to jump up and quickly put down two more with his rifle while their attention was focused on the nano soldier in front of them.

Jason aimed at the last merc and fired, the man's brains flew out the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground in a heap leaving just Vasir still standing. Still unfazed at the death around her and the fact that she was now alone.

"How about we finish where we left off from back then?" said Jason ejecting the spent thermal clip from his pistol and loading a new one.

Vasir smirked as her body glowed brightly from her biotics. "Fine by me." she said before she launched herself forward with a biotic charge.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason began running toward her as well, ready to end this fight once and for all.

 **X**

 **A/N: Hell of a way to start the hunt for the Shadow Broker, and there is still a lot more firefights to come before the Broker himself is confronted. Which means there's a lot more to come, and soon!**


	55. II Chapter 8

**A/N: With the passing of Veteran's day, it seemed only proper that we honor the men and women who have fought so valiantly throughout history. Beliefs, ideals, and politics aside, let us never forget the soldiers who gave everything for our country. God Bless to each and every one of you.**

 **X**

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 **Outside Liara's Apartment - Nos Astra**

 **October 5, 2184 - 15:51 hours**

A biotic enhanced fist struck hard against his chest pushing him back several steps and dropping his energy meter by a third. Jason quickly blocked several more shots aimed at him by the furious Asari before him.

The nano soldier deflected haymaker before bringing his elbow up, catching Vasir in the chin and sending her staggering back.

She wiped the back of her hand and cleaning away the small trail of purple blood from her split lip she received. "You know, my boss could benefit from someone like you. Ever think about joining him? It's not like you're a Spectre anymore." she said as they began to circle one another.

Jason gripped his pistol in his right hand, "Not gonna happen. Considering what he does to people who aren't on his side, I'd rather see him dead and rotting." he said evenly. "And if you're going to stand in my way, then that's going to be a problem."

Vasir charged her biotics. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing." she threw a warp attack forcing the Post-Human to roll out of the way as the dark energy slammed into the side of a parked skycar and making a sizable dent in the metal.

Jason raised his pistol and fired several rounds as he ran at the Asari. She threw up a barrier to absorb the rounds and launched a throw hoping to take the nano soldier by surprise.

Seeing the attack coming, Jason lept to the side. Pulling a grenade in mid-roll and throwing it at the ex-Spectre causing her to grab it with her biotics and throw it into the air as it exploded. Now distracted, the nano soldier drew his knife in his left hand and charged Vasir and stabbed forward.

The Asari threw up another barrier and stopped the knife an inch from her throat. But she didn't see the haymaker coming from the right as the barrel of Jason's pistol connected with the side of her head and knocking her into another car.

Reaiming his gun, the Post-Human emptied the rest of this clip. Only for Vasir to grab the top of the skycar and flip herself up and over it, crouching down as the rounds struck the vehicle's frame.

Jason dumped the spent thermal clip and reloaded a fresh one. "You can still walk away, Vasir. This is will not end like the last time you and I met." he said deadly serious.

Vasir grabbed a Vindicator battle rifle from her back and unfolded it in her hands. "You're right, it WON'T!" she lept up, activating warp rounds on the rifle as she opened fire on her opponent.

 **"Maximum Armor."** Jason ran left and slid into cover behind a skycar as the biotic enhanced rounds tore into his cover. He switched to his Harrier and fired back, forcing the ex-Spectre back into cover.

 _"Jason, I got a line on Vasir."_ said Chellick over the radio.

"Stay hidden and watch the skies, make sure no more assholes drop in behind us. I'll handle Vasir." the nano soldier replied.

The Turian hesitated a moment then sighed, _"Alright. But you better stay alert!"_

Jason had a moment to think as he rolled out of the way of a shockwave that struck the car he was behind. The attack sent the vehicle flipping through the air and over the railing that surrounded the parking lot.

He raised his rifle and fired a volley of rounds toward Vasir as she used a biotic charge to zip out of the way in time before returning fire.

 **"Cloak Engaged."** Jason vanished and moved around the Asari in an attempt to flank.

Vasir looked around for the nano soldier and realized that he had cloaked himself again. "Not this time." she growled as she charged her biotics. Only this time the dark energy condensed within herself as her eyes continued to search for Jason.

The Post-Human had gotten in close before he went on the attack. However, SECOND chimed a moment later as he got within striking distance. **"Danger: Biotic Energy Levels Reaching Critical."** He barely had time to brace himself as the power was unleashed from Vasir like a small super nova.

The blast sent Jason hurling back and crashing into the windshield of a nearby skycar. His HUD flickered a bit from the burst of energy as he rolled himself off the car and back to his feet.

Vasir remained where she was, biotics still charged but her breathing was now labored from the amount of power she let loose.

Jason vaulted over another vehicle a few feet away and spun around to face it. **"Maximum Power."** he kicked the car hard sending it sliding across the ground kicking up sparks as it headed toward the Asari.

Condensing dark energy to her hand, Vasir launched a blast into the large projectile that Jason had sent her way. Launching it into the air before it crashed back on to the ground upside down a few feet away.

Hunkered down behind cover, Jason began to plan his next move. _'This isn't working. If I don't take her down soon this place could be swarming with mercs.'_ he thought to himself.

Scanning the parking lot, his HUD highlighting several things of interest as he tried to find something to give him an advantage.

Something caught his eye, _'Got it!'_

 **"Tactical Options Available."**

X

Vasir searched for the nano soldier among the wrecks around the parking lot, rifle in hand as she waited for him to show himself once more.

She'd never fought someone of this caliber before. In their first encounter she believed that she had the upper hand. When in actuality he was reading her like a book, looking for weaknesses that he could exploit to get the upper hand.

Which he had. He won their last fight and it left her both defeated and humiliated. One of the Council's best Spectres had been outwitted by a vigilante and left bound on top of a building like a criminal. She swore revenge on him that day, but she wasn't counting on him becoming a Spectre with the Human Commander.

Now she had a chance to redeem herself, and exact vengeance on the bastard once and for all. Her orders were to either capture or terminate him...the choice was easy for her to make.

Movement out of the corner of her eye had her shooting several rounds at shadows. A light _'twang'_ noise was heard and she moved back just enough for an arrow to fly past her. She re-aimed and fired in the direction the bolt came from only to hit nothing.

"Where are you?" she growled as another arrow flew past her, missing her shoulder by inches.

She kept shooting until the rifle ran empty. Another arrow flew past while she was doing this causing her to drop the thermal clip she was attempting to load into her weapon. "WHERE ARE YOU!" she shouted, throwing the rifle aside and summoning her biotics.

"Right here." said Jason appearing on top of the skycar in front of her, bow in hand as he looked down at her.

"Had enough of hiding you coward?!" Vasir demanded as she prepared to attack.

The Post-Human shook his head, "No, just setting things up." he pressed the detonator switch on the handle of his bow.

The three arrows he had fired into the engines of the surrounding skycars all exploded in a cluster of fireballs. Vasir was completely unprepared for the explosions and was sent hurling back from the blast.

She hit the ground hard, coughing up a little blood as she glared at Jason as he approached her. The burning wrecks behind him lighting up the night. "The offer still stands, Vasir. Either walk away, or things get ugly." he said holstering his bow.

A chuckle came from her lips, "This isn't over." she fired a shockwave at him. The surprise attack sending him skidding back several steps as she charged him with a biotic enhanced fist.

In mid-swing, a black and sliver gauntlet grabbed the Asari's wrist before it could make contact. Vasir snarled and swung her other fist only for it to be snatched up in the nano soldier's other hand.

Dark purple met bright crimson as the ex-Spectre attempted to overpower her opponent. "Still trying to play the hero, huh?" she asked forcing more of her biotics into her muscles. "You think you'll make the galaxy a better place killing the Shadow Broker? You're more messed up than I thought. No ones ever been able to _find him_ , let alone try to take him down. What stake could you possibly have in this doomed campaign?"

"He made the biggest mistake anyone could make." Jason said darkly as he kept her at bay with his own strength. "He took someone from me and tried to sell her like she was an everyday item. I'm going to make him wish he never touched her by the time I'm through with him."

Vasir cracked a vicious smile before letting out a bitter laugh. "So that's what this is about? Your pissed because he took your precious Commander's remains and tried to sell her to the Collectors. Ain't that sweet of you."

Jason gritted his teeth at the condescending tone in her voice. "Shut up." he hissed.

"Were you two close? Did she see the real you under all that hardware?" Vasir grinned. "Was she a good fuck?"

His hands began shaking as his vision began to tint red. "SHUT UP!" he shouted as he began to lose control of himself.

"I gotta know, what was it like to stand over her grave?" the Asari asked viciously. "What was it like knowing that the only person that would ever love you was just gone in the blink of an eye? That with all your strength, power and skill, you could do nothing to save her?"

Vasir laughed again, "What was it like to watch the great Commander Shepard DIE?"

Jason's foot shot up and connected with her midsection like a wrecking ball. Purple blood spraying from her mouth when several ribs were shattered on impact as she was sent crashing into the side of the skycar that had been behind her hard enough to leave an imprint in the metal.

The amount of pain wrecking through her left her breathless as a hand grabbed her by the throat like a vise grip and lifted her from the ground. Her head was smashed into the door of the skycar, shattering the window as darkness began to cloud her vision.

Lost in his rage, Jason lifted the barely conscious Asari up, slamming his fist into her chest and shattering her remaining ribs and puncturing both lungs from the blow.

Vasir began choking on her own blood as the nano soldier lifted her up to eye level. For the first time in many years she felt true fear. The being before her wasn't a man, he wasn't anything she had ever faced before.

He was a monster in Human form.

Jason gritted his teeth as he watched Vasir struggle to breathe. **"Fuck. You. BITCH!"** he gripped her throat even tighter until a loud snap was heard. The Asari went still, her head bent at an odd angle from her now broken neck.

Everything went still after that. Sounds blurred into the back ground while Jason's breathing remained harsh as he glared into the now dead Asari's eyes. His rage slowly fading until all he felt was numbness fill his being.

Throwing the body to the ground without care. The world around him was blocked out, after doing something so vicious, one should feel hesitant, regretful, maybe even saddened in some way.

But the nano soldier felt nothing. No emotion. No thoughts. Absolutely nothing. And that alone should have scared anyone

He looked up after a little while and saw Chellick standing a few feet away. Mandibles and lower jaw slack, eyes wide with both hesitation and fear at what he saw his friend just do to the ex-Spectre. He had never seen Jason like that before, out of control, vicious, so full of rage that it would make a rampaging Krogan flinch.

They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before Jason turned and began heading for their skycar which had only suffered a few dents and scratches. Chellick snapped out of his stupor and walked after him slowly, "Jason." he said loud enough for the Post-Human to hear.

Jason paused, but kept his back to the Turian as they stood a few meters apart. Chellick swallowed, "I think we should talk about what just happened." he said keeping himself focused.

The nano soldier remained still, "About what exactly?" he asked with no emotion.

The ex-detective bristled, "Oh, I don't know Jason. How about the fact that you just beat to a bloody pulp and broke their neck!"

"She was an enemy. That's what happens to one that gets in the way of a mission." he replied with the same monotone voice.

Chellick stomped up around his friend and glared up at him, "What the hell is going on with you? This is not the Jason Harlow that I know! That everyone knows! The one that always considers life before killing. The one that would risk a mission to protect people. The one that could make a bad situation seem a little brighter. What the hell happened to _him_?"

Silence filled the air. Jason's expression beneath his helmet was that of stone as he spoke. "We don't have time for this." he said stepping around Chellick and heading for the car again.

The Turian grabbed his arm making him stop dead in his tracks. "Then make time! I've had enough fo you ducking and dodging the problem! And we all know what the problem is." he said looking into the man's visor pointedly. "Jane's death...you can't get over it. I understand that, Spirits, we all do. But you're letting it turn you into something you don't want to be! Your rage is getting out of control, how long before you turn on someone who is a friend and ally?"

Chellick gripped his friend's arm a little tighter. "Jason...you need to talk about this. You can't keep it all locked inside anymore. It's killing you. And the more you let it eat away at you, the more the man that she loved disappears. And I won't let that happen; none of us will."

Jason was silent, but he had yet to pull away from his friend's grip. Chellick took the moment to push onward. "If this Lazarus Project you told us about works, if Shepard can really be brought back from the dead. How would she feel if she saw you like this?"

That got a reaction. Jason spun around and faced the Turian, his height towering slightly over the alien as they leered at one another. "I..." Jason paused, his mind coming back into focus and everything catching up to him.

He looked at all the destruction before stopping at Vasir's corpse once more. "Chellick...I..." he put his hand over his visor and breathed out slowly. "I don't know what's happening to me. I thought I had all this under control, but even the slightest mention of her death sets me off like a nuke."

Chellick patted his back, "I can answer that man. But first we should be getting out of here. Cops are on their way because of all the fighting."

Jason nodded and they piled into the skycar before taking off into the air. Leaving the battle torn parking lot and building behind them.

X

Weaving through traffic, Chellick began to explain. "During the last year, Reena and I have been observing your behavior and comparing it to how you acted before the _Normandy_ went down. We watched it mellow out and escalate at various points and made sure to mark down what set you off. From there we forged a fake name and sent the information to Admiral Hackett to pass off to a military psychologist."

"It took the doctor almost two weeks to go through all the notes we sent before he came up with a conclusion." said the Turian.

Jason leaned back in his seat, helmet in his lap, a little stunned at what he was hearing, "You guys have been watching me all this time?"

"We were worried. Still are considering what the psychologist said." replied Chellick.

"And what did he say?" asked the nano soldier.

The Turian sighed, "Your suffering from severe PTSD and Survivor's Guilt. Not surprising considering what happened when the _Normandy_ was attacked. If you combine this with what happened to you before coming to this universe...I guess you can put it all together from there."

"This explains your nightmares, lack of sleep, and the triggering of your violent episodes. It all leads back to mental and emotional trauma and exhaustion." said Chellick.

Jason rubbed hid eyes slowly, "So I'm going crazy with what's happened? Great..." he muttered.

Chellick chuckled, "You were always crazy Jason." he turned serious, "But your mind can't take all this pressure. You're starting to lose sight of who you are. And keeping it all to yourself is only making it worse. You need to start talking to someone about this; whether it's me, Reena, Thrax, as long as it's somebody you can trust. Hell, destroy the whole damn gym back at the outpost if it lets out that bottled up aggression as long as it helps in the long run."

His friend's words hit several cords. Jason had been feeling himself slipping farther and farther away. He had thought it was just his imagination, but now he knew that things weren't as okay as he thought they were. "Thanks, Chellick. I'll...I'll look into ways on how to manage this." he said finally.

"And we'll help too." said the Turian. "You just have to start letting us in more often. Your not as powerful on the inside as you are outside."

The sound of Jason's omni-tool chiming drew their attention. Jason activated the device as a screen appeared with Liara's face displayed with worry. "Jason? Thank the Goddess. Where are you? I overheard that there was a firefight close to where my apartment is."

"The Broker's goons stormed the place after we picked up the coordinates you left behind. Don't worry, we dealt with them." explained Jason. "But I don't think your hiding place will be safe for much longer. Can you get to the docking bay and into our ship without raising suspicion?"

"I might be able to. Feron is still with me and the two of us together should pull it off. With the Shadow Broker's forces now looking for us he will do whatever it takes to bring us down." said Liara.

The Post-Human nodded, "My thoughts exactly. We need to regroup at the _Vecta_ and get out of here before they catch up to us.

"We've already started to make our way there. With any luck we'll meet up with you as you arrive." said the young Asari as the line ended.

"You got a plan for this?" asked Chellick as he flew them through traffic and toward Nos Astra's spaceport.

Jason picked up his helmet and slipped it back on. "The Shadow Broker's not going to hide anymore. It's time we brought him down and stop this before it gets any worse."

X

 **Jason 'Maverick' Harlow**

 _ **MSV Vecta**_ **\- Bridge**

 **October 5, 2184 - 17:09 hours**

They all had regrouped at the ship, after doubling back several times to avoid being followed. Jason, Chellick, Feron and Liara all got on to the ship and left Nos Astra. Taking off into the atmosphere and leaving Illium behind them as they put themselves a good distance away from any possible pursuers.

Once on board, Jason punched in the coordinates to the Shadow Broker's base and giving Chellick a heading. In no time the _Vecta_ shot through the nearest mass relay and began their journey.

"Hagalaz...I never imagined that anyone being able to set up a base there given its hazard level." said Liara looking over the galaxy map.

"It's the perfect place then." said Jason walking up next to her. "The oceans on the surface boil during the day, then snap freeze ten minutes after sundown. If his ship has the equipment for such conditions, and has it following the sunset, he could remain hidden from anyone's sensors. The _Wraith_ can get us in with its stealth systems. But we can't stay exposed to the lightning storm for too long."

"Getting on to the ship isn't the problem," said Feron, coming up and joining them. "It's getting inside. If this is his main base, then he'll have the whole place locked up tight."

"I might have an idea on how to get in." Liara looked over the data that showed a read out of the Broker's base. "We'll have to land on the outside of the hull and look for a hatch." she said looking over possible entry points.

The nano soldier looked at the Drell, "Ideas on what he might have waiting for us inside?"

Feron thought for a couple of moments, "Can't say. Most of his bases and outposts were lightly manned, mostly to cut down on the number of people who know the locations and their importance. Though he could have an army of mechs and drones at his disposal.

 _"Jason, we're ten minutes out from Hagalaz. You guys better get ready."_ said Chellick over the intercom.

"We're heading to the cargo hold now." said Jason as the three of them headed that way.

Entering the the cargo bay, Thrax and Reena stood by the _Wraith_ waiting for them. "We ready to kick some ass?" asked the old Krogan holstering his Claymore.

Jason smirked, "You ready to dust yourself off, old man?"

Thrax waved him off, "Just pay attention out there pyjak, you just might learn something." Reena shook her head and rolled her eyes behind her visor as they piled on to the black shuttle.

Chellick pulled the ship over the planet's atmosphere, opening the hanger doors and allowing the _Wraith_ to fly out and head farther in. Reena piloted them through the electrical storm with the shuttle's stealth systems activated as a large ship came into view.

The vessel's wide back end absorbed the solar energy at its back while it stayed in-between the the planet's 'day' and 'night' cycle to avoid the powerful storms surrounding it.

"The amount of EMP being generated by the storm is getting worse. I'll have to drop you guys off and get out of here fast before the systems are fried." said Reena as she pulled up over the large ship's hull.

Jason stood up, pulling his helmet on and drawing his Harrier. Liara slipped on a breathing mask and took out a Tempest SMG, Feron doing te same with a Carnifex hand cannon while Thrax pulled on his own helmet and drew an Avenger.

The hatch opened and wind gust entered the troop compartment. The team of four lept out, their magnetic boots sticking to the ship's hull while Reena pulled the shuttle away and flew off into the storm again.

"It's hard to pinpoint in this lightning, but I'm picking up signals from a communications array near the back of the ship." said Liara as they began to move across the uneven surface. "There's nothing below that maintenance equipment. We have to find an entrance near the back shielding."

"Think the bastard knows we're here?" asked Thrax as they went down a ramp and headed along a walkway that ran the length of the ship.

"This is the Shadow Broker we're talking about." said Jason. "If he doesn't know we're here by now, he will the moment we encounter anyone stationed here."

"That's reassuring." added Feron as a nearby hatch popped open and three drones hovered out into the open as they approached. "Maintenance drones!" shouted Liara as the synthetics came at them.

Jason raised his rifle and took out the drones quickly before they started moving again. "Why the hell were they trying to attack us?" he asked as two more came out of another hatch.

Liara shot them before answering. "They must think that we're debris from the storm!"

With everything cleared for the moment, the team went up another ramp and found themselves back on top of the ship. Lightning flashed around them from the storm, a couple of bolts striking various rods sticking out of the ship's framework.

"Careful! Those capacitors discharge built-up lightning!" Feron shouted over the howling wind.

Jason's motion tracker went off as four guards came out of a hatch on the other end of the walkway. "Contact!" he shouted aiming down sights. The four mercs hunkered themselves down around the capacitors while the team took cover.

Peering over the low wall, the nano soldier scanned the area ahead and highlighted the capacitors on his HUD as they absorbed more lightning bolts. **"Tactical Options Available."** said SECOND. Jason readjusted his aim and shot one of the power sources.

The moment the rounds tore through the capacitor all of the energy contained within exploded outward in a bright flash of light. All four mercs were caught in the blast and were shocked with several gigajoles of power.

None of them stood a chance as they literally fried within their hard suits before falling over dead.

"We're clear, for the moment." said Liara as they moved up.

"How much cannon fodder do you think he has stationed here?" asked Thrax as they followed along the only path open to them.

"Doesn't matter. The more he throws at us the more empty this place will be when we're done." replied Jason.

 **"Hostiles Detected."** two LOKI mechs came out of hiding and opened fire on the squad. Liara fired a singularity that caught the machines immediately and sent them hurdling over the side of the ship.

A third LOKI mech unfolded, but had it's head encased in Thrax's large fist before being tossed over the side with the others.

Jason and Feron moved up the ramp the machines had been guarding just as another small group of the Shadow Broker's men began opening fire. **"Maximum Armor."** the nano soldier shot the nearby capacitor and frying two of the mercs while the Drell shot a third in the head with a controlled burst.

The last agent ducked down before Jason could take him out, but the Post-Human used the opportunity to charge forward. When the merc stood up to take a shot, a heavy boot connected against his faceplate sending him crashing into the wall and slumping to the ground unmoving.

When the squad regrouped, Jason had finished activating the rod controls. The large lightning rod next to them retracted back into the ship and revealing the next path where several more guards were waiting for them. _'This is going to take a while.'_ Jason thought drawing his Black Widow and blowing the head off the first merc he sighted.

X

The whole ship was on high alert, this was proven by the amount of resistance that the Broker had been throwing at them. Every turn in the path led to more agents laying in wait for them.

Jason kicked the last merc in the latest group to attack them, sending the poor bastard over the edge screaming at the top of his lungs as he fell into open air. He turned back to the door way leading into the ship just as Liara finished hacking it.

Inside, the entire back wall shuffled as dozens of panels came out carrying electrical discharge along its length. The team trekked through the room along the walkway that suspended them above a cluster of power converters that stored all of the gathered energy.

"This ship is incredible. It must have taken decades to build in secret." said Liara in awe.

"I guess we know what happened to the contractors once they were finished." said Feron grimly as they walked past the moving panels.

The young Asari looked around the room, soaking all of the sights around her. "Navigating this storm is brutal. If the ship's engines stop for even a moment..." she let the thought hang in the air ominously.

"At least we'd bring down the Shadow Broker with us." said Jason.

"Going down in a blaze of glory huh? I like your style." said Thrax chuckling.

The team stepped out of the large room and back on to the walkway. Making their way up a series of ramps back to the stop of the ship. **"Hostiles Detected."** Jason shot the first converter that he saw and giving the waiting mercs a shock before they stormed forward.

Gunfire ripped through the air over the sound of the gusting wind as the mercs were taken down in a flurry of bullets and biotic attacks. An enemy Vanguard fired a volley of warp attacks in an attempt to slow the team down only for a sniper round to blow her head off her shoulders.

Thrax slammed the butt of his shotgun into the head of a LOKI mech as they pushed forward through the resistance.

Jason fired up his omni-tool and hacked two more mechs that engaged them. **"Connection Established."** the LOKIs shuttered a moment before doing an about face and shooting at a group of agents that joined the fight.

Everything blended into one continuous firefight. The Shadow Broker's forces threw everything they had at the team as they tore their way through them. Shutting down several panels and lighting rods along their way to clear a path to the only opening Liara could find that would lead them into the base.

When the last merc finally fell, the four of them stepped slowly across a scaffolding that kept them over the open air of Hagalaz. "Christ, this place is just one big deathtrap to anyone unlucky enough to patrol out here."said Jason looking down over the edge.

"At least it has a nice view." commented Liara.

"Yeah...I can just hear the vacation vouchers now. 'Why go to the majestic Citadel or even beautiful Terra Nova? Come visit the environmental hell that is Hagalaz. Complete with an evil information broker and a never ending supply of death squads'."Feron quipped.

They reached the end of the walkway which lead them to the back end of the ship, and approached a large hatch door that had been sealed right. Liara jogged ahead and began scanning the hatch with her omni-tool.

"It's locked." she said activating a program on her device, "Hang on, I've got a bypass shunt program that should be able to crack it." The top half of her omni-tool stuck to the door and five larger red sections appeared along the outside forming a wide circle as the program started to run.

"How long will it take?" asked Jason as he and Thrax scanned for more hostiles.

"I don't know. It's been a while since I've broken in to a base belonging to the Shadow Broker." said Liara with a slight air of humor.

Feron laughed at the attempt as the Post-Human turned and approached the door as the program started running. "Then let's give it a little juice." he said bringing up his own omni-tool. "SECOND, can you help Liara's shunt program get the door open?" he asked scanning the display.

 **"Scanning...Connection Established** _ **"**_ said the AI as all five sections on the display started changing to green one after the other.

"We got company!" shouted Thrax firing a blast from his Claymore and blowing the chest of a merc wide open.

The remaining panels turned green and the display winked out. **"Door Locks Disengaged. Hostiles Detected."** said SECOND as more agents and several assault and rocket drones hovered in the air.

Jason spun around and shot out his omni-tool, all of the drones shook for a moment before they all started firing on the mercs. With the sudden change, the Shadow Broker's forces were thrown for a loop as they were attacked by their own equipment.

"That should keep them busy. Get inside!"The nano soldier called out as the door slid open.

Liara, Feron and Thrax ran through the opening with Jason following. The hatch closed and relocking itself behind them, sealing them inside the ship and allowing them a moment to breathe.

Looking at the interior, Jason kept rifle in hand knowing full well that it was far from over. Getting in was the easy part, it was what followed that would really test them within the next few moments.

The Shadow Broker was in here, and he was looking forward to putting the fucker down once and for all...

 **X**

 **A/N: Next time, the confrontation with the Shadow Broker himself. And it'll be a hell of a showdown. Read and review, and I'll update the first chance I get folks.**


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